Hide Compete

作品賞析

In Hide Compete, the artist Sen Jian-Long was inspired by Ming dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang’s three strategies for building an empire: “Build high walls, amass foodstuffs far and wide, and be slow to claim kingship.” He created a colorful, gorgeous space with ink and fine brushwork, symbolizing a complex, changeable and resplendent world. Against a black background, if we follow the traces of their contour lines, one can see two chameleons, each hiding on a different teapot. The intersecting spouts of the two teapots allude to the culture of social entertainment in business, while the chameleons are adept at quickly switching their appearance as their environment changes. This sort of concealed response may be the way to survive in an era of high competition. Meanwhile, a child in the upper left corner of the picture sits cross-legged, watching all of this with a detached perspective. Through this painting, the artist asks viewers a question: “Are we bystanders, or are we chameleons?”