I have passed such emotions onto my works, as I employ demotic objects such as the traditional cotton prints in constructing the image of ơhomeƢ. The visual signs and languages derived from the cotton prints can be seen to encompass the long-term cultural milieu, thoughts and inclination of a population, a family, or even an individual. Being a familiar everyday object and image, the patterns and styles of these traditional cotton prints have been appropriated in my works as a symbol of local cultural identifi cation, as well as a sign of the time. In other words, they can be seen as a manifestation of Taiwan's local customs and practices, as well as an expression of cultural subjectivity.
I have therefore attempted to interpret, rather than merely to realistically record, the images of children and childhood through my works of mimicking. In light of both human and environmental infl uences as well as the multiple changes they have contributed to in our society, I have set out to juxtapose the virtual and the real so as to record, invent and reconstruct the images of children of our time. It is only by portraying the young yet alienated faces of children of our time, and present them in their contemporary visage, that we can begin to touch upon the spiritual essence of the time these children live in.
