Artwork Appreciation
LIANG You-Ning uses fine strands of hair as an artistic element in his artwork to convey inner contradictions that also serve as a critique and imagination of the outside world. Freely Aloneness is composed of a serene planet in space surrounded by a large formation of braided hair decorated with red ribbons. Two astronauts float around helplessly, having lost the tethers that connected them to the real world. The introduction of smartphones has transformed people’s lives into an ever-present blend of the virtual and physical worlds. The artist created this work to highlight the superficial conveniences brought about by smartphones as well as the spiritual isolation that people experience as the technology actually deprives them of their inner freedoms.