Fire-Water Wei Ji: The Eternal Overture

Liang jiamin, 2025

Giclée print on Hahnemühle German Etching® (310gsm, 100% α-cellulose)
A4 Limited Edition of 30; Framing Size 440*350 mm ( approx. 17.32 × 13.78 inches)
A3 Limited Edition of 30; Framing Size 544*447 mm ( approx. 21.42 × 17.60 inches)

Inspired by the 64th and final hexagram of the I-Ching, "Wei Ji" (Before Completion), this evocative work explores the delicate transition between an ending and a new beginning.

"Wei Ji" signifies a state of incompletion—a fertile void where change is brewing and the future remains ripe with hope. Liang Jiamin utilises an expansive palette of Sumi ink and deep blue mineral pigments to depict a midnight sea and sky, symbols of vastness and the unknown. Amidst this profound stillness, a burst of golden fireworks erupts.

This fire travels across the water’s surface, refusing to be extinguished by the depths. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the undying spark of hope: a light that persists even when surrounded by the shadow of despair. In the philosophy of the I-Ching, the end of the cycle is merely the overture to the next.

The use of Gold Mud (Jinni) adds a crystalline radiance to the textured Kumohada-mashi paper, creating a visual rhythm that mimics the flickering of a flame. This piece is a poetic reminder that as long as the fire burns within, the journey is never truly over.