Keep a Distance

作品賞析

Keep a Distance derives from the artist Wei Wei-Te’s memories of his conflicts with his family during his adolescence. He could escape them only by leaving. In the painting, we see sparkling stars on the Christmas tree, a Santa Claus figurine, a green house, a group of red round stools gathered by a table, and a piece of green paper with the word “home” written on it, alluding to the joyful scene of family gatherings during the holiday season. The figure in the picture with the obscured face is the artist’s self-projection, and the sway in his hair shows that he is turning quickly, about to leave—which highlights the theme. The artist also used green wrapping paper on the upper half and lower left side of the painting, to make the work look like a gift being opened and to suggest that dense memories are being unveiled layer by layer. The three colorful balls bouncing into the scene contrast with the figure turning to walk out of it, which suggests the family is gathering inside while the artist is going out.