Viajar! Perder países!

Ser outro constantemente,

Por a alma não ter raí zes

De viver de ver somente!

                                   -Fernando Possoa

 

（To travel! To change countries!

To be forever someone else,

With a soul that has no roots,

Living only off what it sees!）

 

The poem was written by Fernando Possoa, the famous poet in Portugal. It is not only Crystal’s favorite poem, but also it illustrates the feeling of creating her artworks in recent years. Every single portrait, there are different stories and precious memories behind them. Every time when you were leaving those familiar places, it is hard to avoid feeling frustrated and disturbed. However, when everything is settled down, you will try to adapt the new environment, to make new friends, to experience the new life. Finally, you would learn and gain something. From a city to another city, from one face to another, each drawing has included Crystal’s true feelings and emotion in them, and this is the ‘soul’ of Crystal and her drawing at this moment. It doesn’t matter whether you are staying or leaving, ‘Forever someone else’ can be said an opportunity, an attitude or an unpredictable chance. Maybe the simplest thing for artists to do is forever be true to yourself, and that is all.

 

James Chu

Curator

On the fifteen day of the first lunar month