INSTALLATION VIEW
GALLERY NAGA, BOSTON, JANUARY 2014

"Peach Blossom Spring"

A fisherman sails down a river, lost in thought. After some time, he reaches a part of the river that is lined with a forest of blossoming peach trees. He continues among the fragrant blossoms to the end of the river where he finds a spring. Behind the spring there is a narrow opening. He climbs through the opening and reaches another place, a rich utopia where animals and people live in natural harmony. The villagers there are kind and welcoming. They explain to him that they fled civil unrest three dynasties earlier, and have lived here in peace ever since, self-governing and immortal. The fisherman stays several days. When he leaves, the villagers tell him not to speak about his experience finding them. But the fisherman marks his path anyway, and as soon as he returns he tells the elders. Of course they immediately set out looking for this place. They try and try, but never find the utopia.span>

The story "Peach Blossom Spring" above was written in Chinese by Tao Qian during the T'ai-yuan period of the Ch'in Dynasty, 326-97, a time of social unrest and political instability.

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The images in this series were created in China during the summer of 2012, while I was an Artist-in-Residence at the Inside Out Art Museum in Beijing.

A book with images from this series was produced in conjunction with the exhibition Peach Blossom Spring at Gallery NAGA, Boston, January 2014. SEE BOOK HERE