Yuet Yean Teo

Rotary Life – Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, London

Aquatint, Sugar lift and Etching on Rice paper

This ‘swing’ series of prints is inspired by the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang and my experience of moving from countryside to town, town to city, and country to country. In traditional Chinese belief the circle represents the sky and the square represents the land. Thus, Earth is represented by a square and Heaven by a circle. In Chinese this is expressed as Tian Yuan Di Fang, in which ‘Tian Yuan’ means Heaven represented by a circle and ‘Di Fang’ is Earth represented by a square. This also relates to the idea of Yin and Yang. I use the circular shape as a symbol of unity. To be whole is to be unified. Additionally, the circle expresses my experience of moving around, linked to feelings of restlessness and instability.