La Divina Commedia

Our inner desires continually emerge, only to be replaced by more desires. Consumerism, hedonism, and other desires drive us. Desires are closely linked to happiness and sorrow. People pursue instant gratification and shallow joy, neglecting their spiritual needs and moral responsibilities. Desires, anger, pride, and jealousy are common ailments hidden behind the prosperity of modern society, concealing a spiritual crisis stemming from endless desires. Over 700 years ago, "The Divine Comedy" already set standards regarding the desires that humans generate: people enter heaven or hell based on their attitudes towards desires. Drawing inspiration from Dante's "The Divine Comedy," I delve into contemporary society's issues with desires, reflecting on whether desires are propelling forces driving us forward or chains dragging us into abyss. Through my study of "The Divine Comedy," I categorize human desires into four symbolic forms: lust, anger, envy, and pride. Using these symbols, I have created over 300 paintings and written over 2000 pages of literary analysis. This work is a comparative version between East and West. The Western version uses a unique "back-to-back" binding to differentiate "heaven" and "hell," while the Chinese version employs traditional thread binding. I explore the effects of desires on behavior in different contexts. People can understand the concept of "desire," discover social phenomena, and academic interpretations through reading books and viewing my paintings. Through art exhibitions, I aim to evoke feelings of sanctity, purity, and tranquility in the audience, encouraging them to thoroughly reflect on their concept of existence and pursue a moral and spiritual balance.