"Firecrackers POP"

2012.02.14 By Lei Ti

You probably wouldn’t want to have me as a neighbor. Sometimes in the middle of the afternoon, sometimes later at night, there I am, shooting off firecrackers in the name of art.

I grew up in a Taiwanese military neighborhood with my grandparents, who grew up in China and left during the war at the urging of their families. I graduated from an art school in Taiwan, where I learned to appreciate the art of my Chinese heritage, as well as modern work, especially pop art. More recently, I married an American who lives in Taiwan. She has given me another view of the world from a Western perspective.

While I have gotten my start as an artist in Taiwan, I hope to move on to a bigger, more international stage. The world is getting smaller every day, and cultures are blending together to form new ones. This is very evident in Taiwan, a country whose culture has been influenced for centuries by the Japanese, Chinese, and aboriginal peoples. It is important to preserve our own cultures, while embracing the inevitable changes taking place. I have always felt a deep connection to my Chinese heritage.
   
Firecrackers are an important part of Chinese culture. After famously inventing them, we’ve used them for so many things – to celebrate a wedding or welcome a new lunar year to chase away evil spirits, to mark a religious ceremony, of which there are many throughout Taiwan at different times.

It was at one such ceremony – at the company I was working for at the time - where I first noticed the ground where the fireworks had been set off. There was a spot where something had covered part of the ground. After it had been moved, it left a clear spot in the midst of all the burned marks on the street. It was there that I got the idea to use fireworks as ink and brush-- a kind of firecracker printmaking.
   
Developing the technique took some trial and error. With time I learned how to control the firecrackers, how to get the kind of burn marks on paper I was looking for – and how to isolate the parts I wanted to keep clear. During this process I also developed a deep appreciation for the chaotic aspect I could not control, which gives my firecracker paintings a certain uniqueness and wild beauty. At times the firecrackers burn all the way through the paper, leaving small holes that let light shine through.
   
I burn my work in the spirit of traditional Chinese ink paintings. My subjects are Chinese – traditional Chinese views of nature, Chinese mythological animals, Buddhas. But my style also remains firmly grounded in my love of pop art. I consider it a modern Chinese style. So while my medium and subjects remain traditionally Chinese, they are also a fresh perspective on a 5000-year-old culture.
   
But my neighbors must hate it.
     

See more of Lei Ti here.