Parents of twin girls donating the ashes to Shu Yong, which the artist blended with clay to create flower sculptures. (Photo provided to China Daily)
"I was overwhelmed by the sight of the wasteland, the pain of the people and the odor of corrupting corpses. I felt pathetic for adding to the pain of the living."
So, Shu put his plans on hold and started giving the victims material support.
And when distributing food and necessities, he encountered Zhao Deqin, the mother of deceased twins, Qiqi and Jiajia, both of whom liked Shu's work and dreamed of becoming artists. Seeing this as a sign, Shu proposed the idea of immortalizing the twins through art, and Zhao agreed.
But the production process soon faced multiple obstacles, including the prevalent public misconceptions and verbal abuse for the artist and the parents.
Meanwhile, due to other artists' unwillingness to cooperate with him, Shu had to learn pottery making from scratch.
Later, blending the ashes with clay, Shu created three ceramic flower sculptures of different sizes.
"It (the works) use an artistic form to commemorate the lost lives", says Wang.
The shape of the works is based on a variety of flowers, designed to showcase tolerance.
Commenting on the works at the museum, a visitor says: "The stamens growing between the layers of petals look like pairs of skinny arms. It is heartbreaking."
Shu, who is renowned for his deft utilization of diverse art forms, including painting, photography, installation and performance art, calls the Flowers of Life works a piece of public art.
"The sculptures will incorporate new meanings with the development and evolution of society. The participation and interaction of the public will make the pieces a more representative artwork with public meaning."
"The Flowers of Life pieces embody our view of the earthquake and the reconstruction of the earthquake site. The gradual acceptance of the public represents the transformation of society and people's views of disasters."
Shu has regularly sparked controversy with his artworks, but he describes himself as "fragile" when it comes to the Flowers of Life pieces because of his fear that the donation might not gain acceptance.
"So, I'm relieved (with the donation). Every previous anniversary of the Earthquake, I would feel sorrowful and helpless, thinking that the work was lying in the corner of my studio.
"It is my mission to fulfill my promise to the twins' parents and realize its value."
Shu calls the Flowers of Life sculptures and his latest work, Golden Bridge on Silk Road as his two most important works.
"The latter is 28-metre-long installation artwork based on the Belt and Road Initiative, while the former is my smallest piece of work, but it represents eternity," he says.
"At the museum I realized that my concern (about the Flowers of Life pieces) was unnecessary. There could not be a better place for it," says Shu.
"The cemetery beside the museum is a beautiful lawn. But only when you learn the story behind it do you realize that the beautiful scene does not come easy. Both the site and the Flowers of Life pieces represent rebirth and the profundity of life."
At the donation event, Shu wants all attendees to smile for the group photos.
"When facing disasters, we should see the national spirit of unity and collaboration. Rather than living in gloom, we must embrace and create a bright future with smiles."
