Caregiver Lao Xu

Lao Xu, 60 years old, from Weishan, Dali. Over thirty years in care work. Has done renovation, run a small shop. Cared for his own aging father for about seven years.

During my father's critical illness, Lao Xu came every morning and left at dusk. Feeding, changing diapers, washing the body, accompanying walks. Few words, movements well-practised.

The farewell to my father was cruel and beautiful — unlike the farewell to my mother.

For six months, the artist stopped all creative work and devoted himself entirely to caring for his dying father. At the same time, he recorded daily life in charcoal: the state of his father regressing to a three-year-old child — the details of feeding, changing diapers, assisting with bodily functions — alongside the process of building a kitchen, a bedroom, and a garden for his father with his own hands.

This is a record that cannot be called a "work." It is the most honest emotional archive.