"Every Breath Turning" (一息一动)
// BLURB //
Koi move through water as if guided by a quieter logic, one that favors patience over urgency. In Chinese culture, they are not merely ornamental creatures but gentle carriers of meaning, embodiments of endurance, composure, and the subtle art of persistence. Their motion is unhurried, yet never idle, tracing soft arcs that seem to follow an internal rhythm rather than the demands of the current. There is a philosophy in the way they swim. Each movement feels measured, as though governed by breath, not the breath we take, but something more ambient, a shared pulse between body and water. The koi does not resist its environment; it converses with it. In this exchange, effort becomes fluid, and direction emerges without force. Classical thought often returns to this idea of harmony: that strength lies not in opposition, but in alignment. The koi, gliding just beneath the surface, offers a quiet demonstration. It neither rushes nor hesitates, trusting that the path unfolds through continuity rather than control. To watch a koi is to be reminded that movement can be thoughtful, that stillness can exist within motion, and that a life guided by steady breath may travel farther than one driven by haste.
Koi move through water as if guided by a quieter logic, one that favors patience over urgency. In Chinese culture, they are not merely ornamental creatures but gentle carriers of meaning, embodiments of endurance, composure, and the subtle art of persistence. Their motion is unhurried, yet never idle, tracing soft arcs that seem to follow an internal rhythm rather than the demands of the current. There is a philosophy in the way they swim. Each movement feels measured, as though governed by breath, not the breath we take, but something more ambient, a shared pulse between body and water. The koi does not resist its environment; it converses with it. In this exchange, effort becomes fluid, and direction emerges without force. Classical thought often returns to this idea of harmony: that strength lies not in opposition, but in alignment. The koi, gliding just beneath the surface, offers a quiet demonstration. It neither rushes nor hesitates, trusting that the path unfolds through continuity rather than control. To watch a koi is to be reminded that movement can be thoughtful, that stillness can exist within motion, and that a life guided by steady breath may travel farther than one driven by haste.
EDITION, MEDIA, SIZE & WEIGHT
One-of-a-kind work, issued as a unique edition
Shanghai 2025
RGB LED display, ink & Pebeo oil paint on Vietnamese linen embedded in hand cast resin, teakwood frame
124.6(W)×124.6(H)×7.2(D) cm // 49 kg
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
138(W)×138(H)×24(D) cm // 99.1 kg
EXPOSURE
“The Fourth Wall” at island6 Shanghai
CREDITS
Shengqiu Li 李生秋 (painting) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (production supervisor) • Helen Chen 陈韵涵 (production assistant) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction) • Tiara Alvarado-Leon (blurb)
One-of-a-kind work, issued as a unique edition
Shanghai 2025
RGB LED display, ink & Pebeo oil paint on Vietnamese linen embedded in hand cast resin, teakwood frame
124.6(W)×124.6(H)×7.2(D) cm // 49 kg
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
138(W)×138(H)×24(D) cm // 99.1 kg
EXPOSURE
“The Fourth Wall” at island6 Shanghai
CREDITS
Shengqiu Li 李生秋 (painting) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (production supervisor) • Helen Chen 陈韵涵 (production assistant) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction) • Tiara Alvarado-Leon (blurb)
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