Whole Family Forbearing Kimono (2020)
Whole Family Forbearing Kimono (2020), artists: Miao, Tina, 仙女似的果然, fmg55555, tb61497817, 天然呆xiao妞f, foto: Wolfgang Günzel
作品5：合家忍十字绣和服
艺术家：苗子，马大头，仙女似的果然，fmg55555， tb61497817，天然呆xiao妞f
介绍：人世间 合家忍 我们的约定 条条路坎坷 谋富贵 气生财 莫真 爱 退缩⼀步 海阔天空 永恒
Item 5: Whole Family Forbearing Kimono
Artists: Miao, Tina, 仙女似的果然, fmg55555, tb61497817, 天然呆xiao妞f
In this world of human affairs, / the whole family, all the families, / are bearing and forbearing / all our promises / all roads / are bumpy / anger brings wealth / prospers and flourishes / do, but do not actually do / all the love / move back and cower / and the sea is broad and the sky open / a family is forever (poem by Miao, translation by Abao)
Cross stitch calligraphy and paintings as wall hangings, usually made by moms at home to express good wishes, used to be common in Chinese living rooms. In our village where there are only two or three restaurants, there is a shop specializing in framing cross stitch -- this might give you an idea of their popularity. Today, however, they are among the least popular aesthetic objects among young people and middle class people. Miao recycled some pieces online and you can see the online nicknames of their creators. Then she worked together with Tina to turn those small “paintings” into both a piece of clothing and a piece of writing, both a patchwork and a collage poem with an intricate and humorous play of Chinese words, of which my translation could barely scratch the surface. But like the original cross stitch pieces, the kimono and its long production process is also a form of prayer whose poignant overtone could be felt by anyone else who have been through the emotional turmoils caused by conflicts with conventional family values. ChaoCoop has two circles. The first circle is those in the village. Like conventional small co-ops as a group of workers making production together in the same place. The second circle is everyone in our WeChat group, across the country with diverse backgrounds including musicians and punks, still mostly mothers. This kimono, like many others, tries to break the barriers between village mothers here and urban mothers elsewhere, older mothers and younger mothers, mothers who like cross stitch and those who don’t. For Miao herself is one who lives and works in between. (Abao)