From the Curator’s Perspective: Peach Blossom

There is a peach blossom representative of utopian harmony and a traditional Chinese seal. Upon close inspection one notices that the peach blossom is decaying, much like the environment today.  The Chinese seal is not a seal at all, but a QR code – an opening rather than a closing; an invitation for one to have a say on imperative issues that affect everyone. If you scan the red QR Code located on the branch of this decaying peach blossom with a QR scanner, you will be led to a page containing information on environmental issues in present-day China.  Visitors are invited to add comments.  The piece makes reference to a traditional Chinese symbol and critically examines its function. What is to be gained in redefining traditional symbols? What drives the desires of those that wish for symbols to retain their traditional messages? Peach Blossom is an attempt to stimulate a discourse about such issues. The artist seems to suggest that a critical examination of traditional symbols, often utilized by the Chinese government, can provide an alternative to the “univocal, authoritative approach” in addressing dominating political and social ideologies.

-Alisha Beard

For more information about this work, visit the artist’s submission. Visit this blogpost to learn how A Life, Still was curated by twelve college students in collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Art.

About this Curator

Alisha Beard is a fourth year undergraduate student at East Carolina University. She is pursuing a Multidisciplinary Degree: Studies in Visual Culture.