木玉明

Paradise on Earth · Kunming

March – April 2026

Material
Ink on raw xuan paper
Dimensions
50 × 50 cm · 20 × 20 in
Location
Kunming, Yunnan

Are You There? · 1 of 5

Picture Story

Ink on raw xuan paper, 50 × 50 cm, created in Kunming, March 2026.

Fresh from losing both parents, the artist's heart was heavy with grief. Facing humanity's current condition with deep concern, he transformed inner weight into a visual call through minimalist brushwork — both self-healing and a light of awakening.

The imagery in the painting probes like a voice in darkness: Is humanity still present? Does the spirit still endure?

Project Story

March 15 to mid-April 2026. This series was created by the artist upon returning to Kunming after a self-healing journey through Laos and Thailand, resonating with other scrolls of Paradise on Earth made during his travels.

The loss of his parents was still fresh, the grief raw; simultaneously, crises in the external world were unfolding in succession — from the lingering trauma of the pandemic to continuous conflicts between the US and Iran, the flames of Gaza, and the Russia–Ukraine war — humanity's fate hangs in the balance.

Self-made charcoal · traditional mineral pigments · raw xuan paper