2015, Digital Painting, Dimensions variable
By XIE SHANGYI, Nanyang Girls’ High School
My mother and I love each other, but I barely know her.”
How Else Would I Know You Care is inspired by a conversation during the school parent-teacher meeting where a parent expressed the frustration and helplessness in communicating with the child. The child seemed indifferent to all the conversations and rarely answered any of her parent’s questions.
Mother: Why can’t you do simple things like making your own bed?
Child: …
Mother: Why do I always have to clean up after you? You are already 15 years old and you can’t wash your own plates?
Child: …
“…” seems to speak of modern day communication between family members today. Parallel to IKEA’s aim to sell the perfect home, perhaps the modern home is just a storage space emptied of connection between its occupants. The presence of the people is creepily only observed through the movement of things.
Through deeper conversations with the child, her rebellious silence put forward a strong, shocking message that would leave the adults speechless.
Child: You are hardly around and the only way for me to feel your presence was to see things nicely back in place… how else would I know you care?
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