众 (we)

Studio Version - Spatial Installation, 2025

Variable size

Nails, Black nylon Chinese knotting cord, Black dye, Black paint

In 众 (we), I confront the homogeneity of thought imposed by collectivism, using braids as a metaphor for my lived experience within a collective society. Growing up in this context, I was inevitably woven into its ideological fabric—like strands bound into a tight braid, where individual identity dissolves into the collective. Attempting to break free is like pulling a single strand from the braid: nearly impossible, and not without consequence. The piece uses nylon cords traditionally found in Chinese knotting, each strand anchored to the wall with black-painted nails against a dark backdrop. The nails symbolize the inescapable anchoring of individuals within the collective—constraints imposed from birth that both define and confine. Black evokes the ideological uniformity of East Asian collectivism. This work materializes the tension between belonging and constraint, intimacy and erasure, reflecting on how collectivist forces shape identity while eroding autonomy.