Childhood on Earth

作品賞析

The artist Chiang Hung-Yi’s creations are mostly inspired by his childhood experiences, playing freely by streams and alleyways. After he became a father with children of his own, he developed a better understanding of the relationship between people and the natural world. In his work Childhood on Earth, he combines elements from illustrated children’s books. The main outline presents a picture of a mother telling bedside stories to her children, while her mind is full of various fairy tales. The huge lily symbolizes the mother, and she leads the children into the rich, fantastic rainbow forest. Accompanied by a blue moon, they explore the various stories hidden in the theater of nature, where they learn about Little Red Riding Hood, the little match girl, and Peter Pan, as well as the morals and truths behind these fairy tales. Chiang uses these images to share with his viewers the subtle influence brought about by reading to children—not only the influence on the children, but also on the parents. By accompanying their children, they can rediscover their own childlike hearts.