The Forgotten (2020-2024)

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This project focuses on a popular mode of transportation in contemporary urban life in China - shared bicycles. Inspired by pop artist Andy Warhol's choice of popular products such as Coca-Cola as symbols of the era, I believe shared bicycles represent an important aspect of modern urban life.

 

Initially, I intended to document instances of shared bicycles being mistreated to reflect upon people's attitudes. However, through comparing bicycle cultures in both China and the West, I developed a new perspective.

 

In China, bicycles serve as affordable, accessible means of transport. They are utilized by a diverse range of people, including homemakers rushing to the supermarket, office workers hurrying to catch the subway, and students anxious about being late. Amidst the hustle and bustle, individuals, preoccupied with their daily struggles, may prioritize convenience over ethical considerations, resulting in mistreatment of shared bicycles. When reconsidering the shared bicycles, I perceive the weariness of life, prompting me to feel more empathy and less condemnation.

 

Bicycles strewn across the ground appear exhausted, as if they have collapsed from fatigue. Those trapped on fences seem confined, while stacked bicycles resemble abandoned clusters, devoid of strength. Contemplating the users of these shared bicycles, individuals striving to make ends meet, it becomes evident that they too face society's harsh treatment.

 

Although absent from the project, human presence is omnipresent. The neglected shared bicycles, lying, stacked, and forgotten, evoke parallels to urban installation art. They serve not only as reflections of how people treat objects but also as microcosms of social existence.

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