Ming Wui Bonnie Cheng
The Peaceful Days
2020
Prints: Fineart inkjet printing on Awagami Bamboo Paper, 170gm, 118 cm * 160 cm
Photo book: Inkjet printing on Awagami bamboo paper, 110gm, 32,9 cm * 24,2 cm
"The Peaceful Days" is an ironic representation of my two identities. By this I mean my two affiliations, both to Berlin and Hong Kong.
Although I was there in Hong Kong, the distance between me and Hong Kong was always tangible. When I was in Hong Kong, I felt much more clearly how much I had already become a Berliner. I cannot participate in the demonstrations with the same commitment as my Hong Kong friends, because for me a participant puts identity at stake.
With an arrest in Hong Kong I risk the chance of German citizenship. By doing so I also risk a part of my identity. But when I'm in Berlin, my life revolves around Hong Kong again.
Even the Chinese surveillance can be felt in Berlin. Although it seems more peaceful here, it is never really peaceful for me here either.