Weihan Yang

he/him

MFA1 – School of Art – Photography and Media

Most of the time in our everyday life, we do things based on our habits, like we take them for granted and never recognize the “doing” itself. However, there are moments—unpredictable, thus precious—when we realize (or recognize) the fact that we are doing something. When those moments happen, it is like we jump out of our consciousness and see ourselves from outside, like we reconfirm our existence in this world.”

Identifying the Plant recreates one of those moments that happened to the artist. The picture depicts an ordinary, everyday scene: a well-dressed woman is crouching down to identify a plant. Yet her delicate outfit and the natural or even “bleak” environment; the bushy, eye-catching violet cress and the small weed being identified, together unfold layers of contradiction. It welcomes beholding, or scrutinization, and invites viewers not only to create their own narratives, but to explore the shimmering serendipity of the “Everyday”.