Xiaoxiao Hu

Who

Xiaoxiao Hu

This series of images and animated works use the image of a cat to connect the encounters and situations of cats and humans, using the cat’s gaze, dynamics, and color blocks to express active or passive emotions, suppressing and erupting. Over the past year, I have been exploring how to integrate emotions into my works, using the image of a cat to depict various psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, and memories. At the same time, I am also thinking about why I am so obsessed with using cats to express myself. The cats in this image have healthy and unhealthy, comfortable and abused, stable and irritable personalities. And I left basic drafts for the audience to use during the creation process, hoping to explore their inner selves through this kind of coloring game like approach.

Since ancient times, China has advocated the culture of “孝(xiao)”, which means respecting teachers and elders. But it also forms the foundation of China’s authoritarian education. In a country where parents and elders are paramount, all commands from elders are difficult to disobey and force. Oppressive education does not encourage critical thinking, creativity, and personal growth, but prioritizes obedience, obedience, and rote memorization. Parents and teachers in the repressive sex education system may adopt authoritarian methods, using fear, intimidation, or strict discipline to maintain control and compliance. This educational environment often overlooks students’ emotions and social development, placing academic performance above happiness. This can be reflected in the Chinese society’s belief that children with good grades also have good character.

Children under such education often have unconscious psychological problems, lack autonomy, find it difficult to engage in creative or innovative thinking, and are constantly plagued by anxiety and stress, which exacerbates existing social inequality. When domesticated animals enter human households, they are treated arbitrarily or in the way their owners want. Owners have absolute power and control over their pets, which can also be expressed through training them to obey commands. Especially highly domesticated animals such as dogs and cats can serve as an extension of their owners’ selves: they can not only symbolically help their owners become what they want, but also literally provide opportunities for their owners to do things they cannot do. The living conditions of most Chinese children are similar to those of family pets. Because China is a developing country, with the significant improvement in living standards in recent decades, Chinese children have more choices than their parents, but at the same time, they have become tools for their parents to fulfill their unfulfilled wishes.