The Hidden Hill, Our hidden pain
The process of this work is a journey of self-exploration and empathy. Initially, I started this project driven by my personal pain experience and my own trauma within my original family.
Personally, I believe that pain is inevitably intertwined with intimate relationships, both on a physical and psychological level. Speaking from my own experiences and those within my family, including various gynecological conditions, menstrual pain, childbirth pain, illnesses caused by emotional reasons, and emotional trauma. Unfortunately, these forms of pain, whether within intimate relationships or in a societal context, are often easily overlooked.
Once, while experiencing menstrual pain, I knead a piece of clay, attempting to divert my attention and lessen the sharpness of the pain. It was during this time that I completed the first component of this work. As I looked at this piece of pain, I realized it was a tangible representation of my own suffering. I discovered that it was a powerful way to concretize these indescribable pains we endure.
And then, I expanded my perspective to encompass the experiences of females as a collective, aiming to amplify the voices and expressions of pain for a broader range of females.
I invited dozens of women to participate in the creation of this work. We gathered together, and I invited them to recall and share their own experiences of pain, and to create the shape of their pain. Using various parts of our bodies, we’ve made hundreds of shapes of pain.
Finally, I would assemble and stack them together, forming a sculpture.
