Wandering Paradise
2026---ongoing

In the history of Suzhou’s classical gardens, Keyuan is not associated with major political events or prominent figures. Unlike the Humble Administrator’s Garden or Canglang Pavilion, it has not been repeatedly inscribed into dominant cultural narratives, nor has it developed a strong symbolic identity. Its historical presence is relatively thin — a space lacking the support of a grand narrative.

Originally named “Leyuan” (Garden of Joy), the word le suggests a direct and open emotional experience. It was later renamed “Keyuan,” reportedly based on the idea that pleasure should not be excessive. The shift from le to ke implies a subtle contraction in attitude — from openness toward moderation and restraint.







This transformation serves as the starting point of the project. Precisely because Keyuan lacks a fixed and prominent historical position, it operates at the scale of the everyday. It is not a concentrated site of power or symbolism, but a space of relatively low narrative density. This “low density” is not absence, but an open structure — an environment not occupied by a centralized narrative.

Through the transition from Leyuan to Keyuan, the project projects a private and not fully articulated mode of thinking onto the garden, using it as a thread to connect recent works. The images are not entirely focused on Keyuan itself; rather, they are organized and reflected upon through this conceptual lens. They do not point to a clear destination, nor are emotions fully defined. They move, pause, and circulate within space, neither arriving at fixed conclusions nor forming a complete narrative.

What these images present is not a resolution, but a condition —
a state of suspension, indeterminacy, or ongoing search.