11/08/2025
Warm & Warmth
Warm & Warmth is a cast-iron girl shaped like a fireplace. Her body is curled up, wrapped tightly in an oversized sweater. Barefoot, she stands on a cement box—its coldness seeping into the soles of her feet, biting.
Firewood burns within her chest. She can warm others, yet with her icy core and scalding heat, she can never be held or embraced.
“Warm” is a temperature. “Warm & Warmth” is an action—a plea.
“Warm me… warm me, please…”
The crackling of burning pinewood fills the space. The smell of resin and smoke stings every visitor’s nose. One must come as close as possible to feel her warmth. Thin wisps of smoke rise from the tall chimney, spiraling into the air—light as a soul.
This figure is a metaphor for the role often expected of women in society: to offer warmth, to endure solitude, to be the support for others—yet rarely to be truly understood, accepted, or cherished.
I’ve always felt that to survive as the “second sex” in this world, one must develop a certain strength and resilience.
Spread beneath her feet are 3,000 small ceramic figures—Like Coal.
This companion work is composed of countless tiny, curled-up bodies hugging themselves. Scattered across the floor, some huddle in groups while others are isolated, yet none escape their fundamental aloneness.
Their surfaces are rough and creased, their forms indistinct—like lumps of coal.
The memory of coal is deeply ingrained in every Chinese heart. We used it to stay warm, to cook, to survive. In the collective consciousness of humanity, every individual faces the same fate: to be consumed, to be reduced.
Each of us is a small, insignificant coal briquette—waiting to burn out.
暖暖，是一个铸铁的壁炉女孩，她蜷缩着身体被一件硕大的毛衣包裹，赤裸着双脚站在一个水泥箱子上，水泥传递到脚心的冰冷——刺骨。木柴在她的胸膛中燃烧，她可以温暖旁人，但冰冷如她滚烫如她却永远无法被揽入怀中。
“暖”是一种温度，“暖暖”是一种动作，一种乞求。“暖暖，暖暖我吧…”
燃烧的松木劈劈啪啪，松油和烟的味道刺激着每一个观众的鼻腔，只有最大限度的靠近她才能感受到温度。高耸的烟囱里冒出袅袅的轻烟，盘旋围绕在展场上空，这种轻像灵魂…
这个形象隐喻着女性在社会中被期待的形象——给予温暖，承受孤独，被期待成为支撑他人的存在，却很难被真正理解、接纳或珍惜。我始终能感受到作为第二性在这个社会中必须拥有的生存能力和坚强意志。
铺陈在暖暖脚下的是三千个小陶人——《如煤》。这件作品由无数个蜷身紧抱着自己的小人组成，他们散落一地，有的三三两两有的抱团群暖，但依旧无法改变孤立于世的状态。人物表面充满了粗粝的皱褶，模糊的结构细节使他们看起来就像是一个个黑色的煤球，关于煤球的记忆充斥在每个中国人的心中，我们用它们来取暖，生火，做饭。在人类的群体意识中每个个体都难逃被燃烧被消解的过程，每个人都是无足轻重的即将被燃尽的小煤球。
