[We’re All in the Same Boat] (2002) sees four men in flamboyant clothes – three use paddles and one play drums in a dragon boat. Like a team sport, dragon boat racing is one of the most important activities on Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan. The story setting of this artwork was a tragedy in which four men had drowned by accident. The concept behind the work is the belief about karma in Buddhism and in Taiwanese traditional society. It is believed that the sums of people’ bad actions in “previous lives” decide what will happen in the “present lives.” This religious belief also warns people to keep away from the wickedly harmful deeds. Besides, right at the top of the digital painting are twelve small-sized photos which resemble the pictures on the tombstones.
In this artwork, I designed both costumes and props on my own. By snapping the pictures of real situations and then manipulating them on a computer, I recreate the virtual life that four men seem pleasant racing in a dragon boat as if they were still alive.
｜Wu Tien-Chang
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