I Dreamt of Being Killed by My Father While I Was Flying Over an Immortal Land

Hong Lei explores notions of memory, identity, and tradition in his practice. He creates melancholic narratives that honor fading traditions in Chinese culture with nostalgia-tinged conceptual works in painting, photography, and installation art:

“[I am] dreaming a sad dream so that I can escape the turmoil of reality. I hereby proclaim that I am terrified of globalization and abhor it.”

This panoramic photograph evokes the traditional format of the Chinese handscroll, in which scenes are revealed one after another, as the reader unrolls the work from right to left. By contrast, Lei’s digital photomontage is displayed in its entirety, with himself as the main character. Clothed in a flowing white nightgown, he inserts himself within the traditional setting of the handscroll. The artist’s multiple and simultaneous appearances conflate the narrative, which has no clear beginning or end.