Carpe Diem

“Carpe diem (seize the day)” can suggest both cherishing life and overindulging in it. I filled the page accordingly: sandcastle, airplane, camera, alcohol (Maotai), shopping boxes, fireworks, bubbles, ribbons, and a disco ball with radiating light beams, all representing different forms of immediate pleasure, from childhood fun to adult consumption. The crowded composition reflects our fast-paced life, trying to fit two hundred years of experience into one hundred. Against the black background, the inevitable shadow of death, these colorful objects feel both celebratory and futile, even lonely. I used mixed media intentionally. From scratch art for the disco ball, three-dimensional beads, to collage, I created excessive tactile elements that mirror our attempt to fill life before it ends.