The Parallel Universe - The Tale of Genji 1

Product description

From a series of eight drawings ‘The Parallel Universe – Tale of Genji’ exploring the capabilities of free-hand drawing tracing the conscious activities. Inspired by Japanese classical novel The Tale of Genji (11th century). The drawing mingles the classical ancient figures and elements (Yamato-e handscroll painting) with my contemporary experience and reaction to the story.

Using fine liner and ink pens I create an imaginary scenario in which the audience can search for answers and discover surprises associated with themselves, echoing what British novelist Virginia Woolf’s calls the Stream of Consciousness. Events and characters ‘grow’ from this process naturally. The works are imaginary scenes where true-life stories and imagination are mixed, fabricated and reconstructed, attempting to track down the tension behind normal daily events.

My drawings utilise my automatic method, representing the temple and a pond as conflicting, unbalanced and ambiguous spaces. The free-flowing lines construct unexpected shapes and creatures of diving men, a snake-body goddess, water lilies etc. metaphorically representing the fragility of females and the social/political pressures that are placed upon them. When these female, male or genderless figures are mingled together, gender dominance is cancelled out, or disturbed. Imagined, real and unintelligible shapes compete for attention, implying various possible outcomes to the story and new alternative ways of viewing women in a changing world.