This week marks the turn of my curatorial research, from analysing theoretical texts to having a direct dialogue with the artists behind Wishing Your Child Becomes a Dragon. In view of my broader curatorial theme to discuss the relationship between traditional and contemporary, this interview will be a key step to understand how tradition is reinterpreted in the contemporary framework.

Instead of treating tradition as a static inheritance, I am more and more interested in how it works as a vivid and convertible language. As a traditional art form in China, shadow play bears the history of handicraft, narrative tradition and collective memory. However, in this work, it does not simply exist as a folk element. When it is placed in the context of contemporary exhibitions, its meaning will inevitably shift. This raises an important question: is the work preserving tradition, translating it, or transforming it?

When preparing questions for this artist, I found myself focusing on three interrelated areas. First, how does she define “tradition”? Is it a technique that needs to be adhered to, a cultural memory that needs to be protected, or a visual language that must evolve? Her answer will determine how I position this work in my curatorial narrative.

Second, I am interested in whether traditional narratives can still respond to contemporary concerns. The phrase “Wishing Your Child Becomes a Dragon” is deeply rooted in cultural history, yet it also resonates strongly with present-day pressures surrounding success, ambition, and identity. Does the artist seek to reinterpret this concept, critique it, or simply present it for reflection?

Secondly, I am interested in whether traditional narrative can still respond to contemporary concerns. The expression “Wishing Your Child Becomes a Dragon” is deeply rooted in the cultural history, but it resonates strongly with the current pressure on success, ambition and identity. Is the artist trying to reinterpret this concept and criticise it, or is it just presented for people to reflect?

At this stage, this interview is not so much to get the exact answer as to clarify my own curatorial position. Through dialogue, I hope to have a deeper understanding of how traditions are not only preserved but also actively rewritten in contemporary art.