The best part of being an artist-in-residence in a foreign country was probably the possibility it offered me to resume a simple life and immerse myself in creation without being disturbed by irrelevant trifles that availed nothing. What I could do there was to enjoy my life, observe the variation of light through the atmosphere, listen carefully to the symphony of nature, explore the surroundings, get acquainted with more people, learn as much as I can, and then reflect these experiences in my works and life. In as short as three months, I found that my values regarding creation, life and interpersonal communication have changed significantly. This residency experience contributed more to my inner reflection than to my external expression.

Inspiration is a necessary commodity for creations of all stripes, and it often comes from foreign cultures and creativity that one had never experienced before. As a result, all creators have a shared characteristic: being discontent about staying in the same place. I decided to draw inspiration by going to a place far from home, conjuring up memories of my hometown and creating a series of works there. This series of paintings represented the colors, tastes, figures, landscapes and laughter I’d encountered during my coming of age. The jigsaw of memories was then compiled into a comic book.

After a process of trial and error, I chose watercolor paper and acrylic paint as the media to create a 30-page comic book titled Return to the South, featuring the neighborhood in my childhood days such as the Lotus Pond and the Guomao Community. The space-time, plots and scenes of my hometown and Český Krumlov intertwined in this work. I also completed more than 100 pieces of work during my residency. These works depicted the surroundings of the Zuoying Avenue in Kaohsiung and many more places in Český Krumlov in addition to the aforementioned scenes, which vividly presented the people, affairs, zeitgeists, places, and objects in the two southern cities.