LUO
The Restrained Bible
In this artwork, I discussed the influence of politics on the current situation of Christianity in China.
Materials: the Bible, epoxy, glass box
Dimension: 40*40*40 cm
Year of creation: September 2021
Once when I accompanied with my grandmother to a local church for praying and confession, I heard people chatting about the banning of circulation of the Bible in China. This intrigued me to launch different application to search for the Bible, and no results were found. I researched primarily on Google and found news of the contexts. Ever since March, 2018, due to “the incorporation between religions and Chinese Communists guidance”, the circulation of the Bible had been strictly forbidden in China. This is a phenomenon that attracted me to do some research upon and make visual expression of.
In my research conducted, there are classmates and teachers being interviewed. One held the belief that this fact “will not interfere the views of non-Christians”; one opposed saying they have “no freedom to possess beliefs” and that Christianity in China is being “invisibly discriminated”; one pointed out that “to be sinicized is to be controversial against natural spreading of religions”, that “politics should not interfere anything on people’s beliefs”, “It feels erratic and uncomfortable”, he said.
I walked through different churches in my city and found out those results about current situations of Christianity in China.
1 Chinese religious sects only regard the Bible as the only doctrinal standard.
2 Chinese churches have edited version of the Bible and cannot be lent.
3 The Church holds regular activities every month, every quarter and every year.
4 Most churches are set up in residential buildings and hold regular activities.
5 The whole decorations of churches is an uncoordinated form of the integration of China and the West.
From the interviews and field research, Christianity is being “ restrained ” in China.
The five preparatory sketches are made with different ideas to express status quo of the Bible in China.
Sketch 1: physical restraining of the Bible insinuates at the situation
Sketch 2: colored light strip on the Bible covers the contents, showing the inability to read the Bible
Sketch 3: the cross is being emptied of its contents, like its state in China
Sketch 4: oppositely the Bible is enchaining the city, representing this afflictive and controversial situation
Sketch 5: a model constructed like the Bible is melting and leaking a city, alike the inside of hopes of Christians that people should be free in believing and living.
Finally, an idea jumped out in my mind that to show a phenomenon should be literal and straightforward. So I made the final sketch on the left. The Bible is the central object covered with black markings on each word, making it unreadable, which means the followers of Christians in China are unable to see the Bible as people worldwide. This tragic existence is then put into epoxy and surrounded by a glass box. Both the materials are transparent and solid, which represents the invisible barriers made manually by the Communists. Outside the box, the people are sensing the existence of the Bible but are hardly able to touch it and read it.
