I See God!

Capturing Sacredness In Ordinary Things

"Whenever you have a question, simply know that I have answered it already. Then open your eyes to your world...

I will be there.

With Truth.

And Light

And Love."

- Conversation With God, Book One

Ok, God. I got the following questions:

"Who I am? Why I am here? And perhaps most importantly, how do I affirm that my life, filled with countless unremarkable days and nights, has been fulfilling?"

"I See God!" is the sequel of "We’ll Live Through All The Long Long Days, And Long Nights". It is my attempt to seek answers for the questions left behind from my visual journal as a care worker.

Like many of my fellow people, the emigration wave from Hong Kong in the 2020s drastically altered my life path. Truth be told, I have never thought I would leave my birthplace in my middle age. Moving from a fast-paced city to a quiet town in South Yorkshire evokes mixed feelings of peacefulness and loneliness. While even the smallest sensations astonish me, the sense of being a stranger and longing for home leave me feeling loss in a foreign land.

And this transition prompts me to seek God, finding sacredness in everything: people, flowers, winds, trees, clouds, and even grass. No matter how trivial or ordinary things may seem, I start gazing at them greedily with my "magnifier"—my creative soul—for they are in front of me now, and they are what I have.

And maybe if I opened my eyes to the world again, I could see truth, light and love.

And I could see You, God.

I SEE GOD IN A BUNCH OF FLOWERS 

I SEE GOD WHEN I LOOK UPON A TREE 

I SEE GOD IN BOTH LONGEVITY AND EPHEMERALITY

My note: If I lived long enough, I could also be great.

I SEE GOD IN PIGEONS UNDER "KOMOREBI"

My note: The whole atmosphere feels divine. If there is a heaven, I imagine it would look like this.

I SEE GOD IN A MAPLE TREE WITH GRADIENT LEAVES 

I SEE GOD IN CHANGES

My note: Over the past few months, during my break time, I sit in the same place, in the same park in the same neighborhood. I've observed changes in the same ordinary bush that most passersby would likely overlook. It's only by consistently observing something over a period of time that you begin to notice these differences. I've recorded all these changes and combined them into a single piece of artwork. Call me expert of that particular bush.

I SEE GOD IN LIGHT AND SHADOW

I SEE  GOD IN A SWINGING TREE

My note: The weather in the UK is famously unpredictable. The wind can suddenly become quite fierce. I knew I should find a corner to take shelter from the wind, but I couldn't help being amazed by the trees' motion, which made them appear as if they were dancing.

I SEE GOD IN THE RESILIENCE OF A TINY BLUEBELL BLOSSOM 

My note: Sometimes life unfolds in surprising ways. I placed a branch of bluebell flowers into a medicine bottle with just fresh water, and to my astonishment, it blossomed. Every creature has an innate drive to grow, encoded in their DNA, no matter the circumstances.

I SEE GOD IN THE CLOUDS 

My note: When you are in sadness, look upon the sky. It will help. 

I SEE GOD IN THE MOON

My note: One summer midnight, I woke up from the heat and saw the moon shining brightly through my window. It was so crystal clear that I could almost see its surface details with the naked eye. I have always loved moonlight, but in that moment, I felt an undeniable certainty that God is real.

I SEE GOD IN A PRAYER

God Also Prays / 2024 / 50 x 60cm / Acrylic and Oil Pastel On Canvas

My note: It is easy to find divinity and greatness in the nature, but with humans, there are always judgments—intentional or unintentional-- and that literally, the term "human" itself contrasts with "Godness".  However, it is also said that there is divinity in each of us. I often find that bronze statues, which are prevalent in Western culture, embody a certain kind of sacredness. Maybe it is also because they dehumanize the human form?

WHEN I OPEN MY EYES TO THE WORLD AGAIN

Open Your Eyes Again / 2024 / 50 x 60cm / Acrylic and Oil Pastel On Canvas

I SEE GOD

God Is A Bee Covered In Pollen / 2024 / 50 x 60cm / Acrylic and Oil Pastel On Canvas

My note: When I open my eyes to the world again, are my questions answered?

Yes and no.

Because I don't really need an answer.

Trust that flowers bloom.
The earth evolves. And so the heart beats.

Trust in the abundance of the universe.

And just "Be".

Just stay alive. God says.