躲猫猫 Hide and Seek (2024), site-specific installation in Laoyuhe Park, Kunming

with Single-Channel Video (color, sound), 8'08"

 

“石猫猫”是普遍存在于滇池东岸村落中的“守护神”，几乎在每个村子的村口都能看到它的身影。有的石猫猫已经有数百年历史，而有些则为新造，甚至直接用石狮子替代。有学者认为这是滇中一代虎崇拜的遗存。在过去二十年间的城市改造中，很多村落被抹去，但石猫猫往往成为被留存到最后的事物，而那些失去了房舍依存的神灵：佛像、瓦猫……则被放置在石猫猫周围。它们将以这样的方式进入新的城市肌理，在新的环境中被祭拜或遗忘。

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"Stone Cats" are guardian figures found scattered throughout the villages on the eastern shore of the Dianchi Lake. They can be found at the gate of nearly every village in this area. Some of the stone cats have centuries of history, while others are newly made, or even replaced with stone lions. Some scholars believe these are remnants of historic tiger totem worship in central Yunnan. During the urbanization of the past twenty years, many villages have been wiped out, but the stone cats are often the last vestiges to remain. The various gods who have lost their homes - Buddha statues, rooftile cats - are replaced around the stone cats. They enter into the new urban fabric in this form, and are either worshipped or forgotten in these new environments.