Orderly Heterogeneity

"Order" (企理) is a term coined by Zou Yanxi, embodying her notion of cleanliness, tidiness, and order. Meanwhile, "Heterogeneity (stand for heterogeneous Sequential Pattern)" (差序格局) was proposed by myself, borrowing from sociologist Fei Xiaotong's description to illustrate how Zou Yanxi's work exhibits concentric layers radiating outward from a central self, along with dimensional variations around the center, forming a system of differentiated orders. Contrasted with traditional artistic methods, Zou Yanxi posits that contemporary art through performance and installation can connect more directly to the essence of "experience," offering a closer sensory translation. She seems intent on grounding the specificity of "existence" and its meaning amidst the mundane aspects of daily life, hence her creations are predominantly linked to direction, territory, and corporeality.

From my perspective, Zou Yanxi's creative process initiates with delineations of temporal or spatial territories, subsequently spreading outwards like ripples from a central point, akin to a horizontal radiation reminiscent of Heterogeneity. Once the core is defined, she establishes a dimensional reduction link between intense and intricate emotions to cold form through subjective selection or modification of tangible objects based on shape. Through physical placement or abstract symbolism, she meticulously and orderly disseminates throughout the entire domain. Yet, approaching the heart of Zou Yanxi's work intensifies our perception of the dimensional shift as form regresses to the primordial emotional state, engendering a transient yet potent metamorphosis and overflow of sentiment. This vertical diffusion constitutes the longitudinal aspect of her creation within the Heterogeneity framework.

In Corporeal Management, the entirety of the botanical collection is organized under a methodical approach that emanates from the center, with each individual plant endowed within itself with a structural "Heterogeneity." When a plant's shape resonates emotionally with Zou Yanxi, it receives differential treatment—intimate or distant—strengthening the expression of "Heterogeneity." She endeavors to distinguish them through "decoration" from being merely part of a collective species. Hence, she bestows upon them form through external imposition, compelling plants to confront their uniqueness, turning them into singular entities that respond to the disparity of individual existence, allowing the artwork to emerge as an autonomous "organism" separate from the artist herself. Some transform into slender Hostas, others into mimosa that cannot escape, and still others into Epipremnum aureums leaping over cliffs. To her, the singularity of "being" encompasses not only beauty but also pain, which must be faced to claim true identity. In this instantaneous emotional connection, form reverts to feeling. As artist Huang Zile remarks, "Her sensibility is akin to a flame; rationality, the 'paper', cannot contain the fire; thus, what ultimately materializes is the moment when fire penetrates paper." This spectacle is perhaps the most enchanting feature of her creation—a phenomenon I refer to as the "reverse collapse" from matter back to emotion.

By / Wang Yi Yi

October 12, 2024