Warli land-winter

作品賞析

In 2019, the artist Deng Wen-Jen observed the Warli culture while living in a village in India, and then created her “Warli Land” series of works. The Warlis are a minority in India and follow a traditional lifestyle. They paint their various activities in murals in caves and on the walls of their homes, and the geometric patterns on their murals inspired Deng. Winter marks the end of their year, so this work shows a Warli celebration scene. On the left side of the picture, everyone is wearing bright costumes, holding hands, and dancing, and they are surrounded by musicians. On the right side, there is a bride and groom riding an oxcart toward a leader on horseback; the leader and horse are stitched in yellow. Behind them there is a car and a figure riding a bicycle—presumably the people are coming to participate in the festivities. Deng Wen-Jen made the tall, upright tree of life in the middle with old Indian cloth that showed the traces of time, in order to symbolize life, immortality, and all beauty.