The Garden of the Forgottens
STATUS
TYPE
GENRE
MEDIA
DATE
LOCATION
TYPE
GENRE
MEDIA
DATE
LOCATION
Finished
Ready to make products
Series Illustration
#Psychology
#Disorder
#Drama
Watercolour
Coloured Pencil
07/2021 - 01/2022
Beijing, China
Ready to make products
Series Illustration
#Psychology
#Disorder
#Drama
Watercolour
Coloured Pencil
07/2021 - 01/2022
Beijing, China
This series consists of twelve illustrations exploring six psychological conditions, each represented through a pair of images. Using metaphorical and abstract visual language, the work depicts shifts in perception before and after changes in mental states. The project originates from my own experiences as well as those of people around me. Since high school, I have experienced mild depression, and was later diagnosed with moderate depression and paranoia during my first year of university. While this period was marked by pain and suppression, it also revealed the potential of creative practice as a means of release and self-reconstruction. This experience led me to develop a sustained interest in the internal mechanisms of psychological conditions, further supported by my studies in psychology and counseling.
I began to recognize that many conditions labeled as “abnormal” are not merely pathological deviations, but rather alternative ways of perceiving and constructing reality. Individuals experiencing these conditions often resemble “misfitting gears” within established social systems—their internal experiences remain largely invisible, frequently misunderstood, or even dismissed by others. Compared to visible disabilities, this invisibility intensifies isolation. This project therefore seeks to translate these subjective experiences into visual forms, allowing viewers to access and understand these alternative realities from an internal perspective.
The process combines textual research and perceptual exploration. I studied a range of psychological conditions—including Alzheimer’s disease, narcissistic personality disorder, autism spectrum disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, binge eating disorder, and bipolar disorder—through academic sources, case studies, and visual media. Based on this research, I used collage and hand-drawing to distill the core sensations of each condition into symbolic visual elements and spatial compositions.
Rather than directly depicting suffering, the visual approach emphasizes a sense of intensity, transformation, and altered perception. The images construct worlds that may appear unfamiliar or even unsettling to outsiders, yet remain internally coherent and meaningful from the patient’s perspective. Through the use of highly saturated color, layered narratives, and botanical metaphors, I aim to create complex, immersive visual environments where “abnormality” becomes a perceptible and experiential condition.
Formally, each condition is represented through an A/B image structure, presenting two parallel compositions that reflect perceptual shifts. This format not only visualizes changes in mental states but also suggests the possibility of perspective-switching for the viewer, encouraging empathy and reinterpretation. At the same time, it implies the potential for individuals to navigate between different realities. In future development, this structure could extend into interactive formats such as lenticular prints, further reinforcing the relationship between perception, control, and understanding.
Through this project, I aim to challenge common misconceptions shaped by mainstream representations of mental illness, and to redirect attention toward the lived experiences of individuals. At the same time, the work seeks to offer a sense of possibility: that even within instability and uncertainty, there remains space for self-awareness, transformation, and reconstruction.
I began to recognize that many conditions labeled as “abnormal” are not merely pathological deviations, but rather alternative ways of perceiving and constructing reality. Individuals experiencing these conditions often resemble “misfitting gears” within established social systems—their internal experiences remain largely invisible, frequently misunderstood, or even dismissed by others. Compared to visible disabilities, this invisibility intensifies isolation. This project therefore seeks to translate these subjective experiences into visual forms, allowing viewers to access and understand these alternative realities from an internal perspective.
The process combines textual research and perceptual exploration. I studied a range of psychological conditions—including Alzheimer’s disease, narcissistic personality disorder, autism spectrum disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, binge eating disorder, and bipolar disorder—through academic sources, case studies, and visual media. Based on this research, I used collage and hand-drawing to distill the core sensations of each condition into symbolic visual elements and spatial compositions.
Rather than directly depicting suffering, the visual approach emphasizes a sense of intensity, transformation, and altered perception. The images construct worlds that may appear unfamiliar or even unsettling to outsiders, yet remain internally coherent and meaningful from the patient’s perspective. Through the use of highly saturated color, layered narratives, and botanical metaphors, I aim to create complex, immersive visual environments where “abnormality” becomes a perceptible and experiential condition.
Formally, each condition is represented through an A/B image structure, presenting two parallel compositions that reflect perceptual shifts. This format not only visualizes changes in mental states but also suggests the possibility of perspective-switching for the viewer, encouraging empathy and reinterpretation. At the same time, it implies the potential for individuals to navigate between different realities. In future development, this structure could extend into interactive formats such as lenticular prints, further reinforcing the relationship between perception, control, and understanding.
Through this project, I aim to challenge common misconceptions shaped by mainstream representations of mental illness, and to redirect attention toward the lived experiences of individuals. At the same time, the work seeks to offer a sense of possibility: that even within instability and uncertainty, there remains space for self-awareness, transformation, and reconstruction.
该系列作品由十二幅插画构成，围绕六种心理状态展开，每种状态以成对图像呈现，通过隐喻与抽象的视觉语言描绘个体在状态变化前后的感知差异。项目的出发点源于我自身及身边人的经历：自高中以来，我长期经历轻度抑郁，并在大学阶段被诊断为中度抑郁与偏执。在这一过程中，痛苦与自我压抑并存，但同时，创作也成为一种释放与自我重构的路径。这段经历使我逐渐对心理状态的内部机制产生兴趣，并通过心理学与咨询课程的学习，尝试理解个体感知世界的不同方式。
我意识到，许多被定义为“异常”的心理状态，并不仅仅是病理意义上的偏离，而是构建出一种与常规认知不同的“现实”。这些个体如同无法嵌入既定社会结构的“异形齿轮”，其感受往往难以被外界理解，甚至被误读与排斥。相比可见的障碍，这种不可见的痛苦更加孤立个体。因此，本项目试图从“内部视角”出发，将这种差异化的感知经验转化为可被他者感知的视觉世界，使观者能够进入并理解这种“不同的现实”。
在方法上，我结合文本研究与感知经验，对包括阿尔茨海默症、自恋型人格障碍、自闭症谱系障碍、创伤后应激障碍、暴食症与双相情感障碍在内的多种心理状态进行梳理，通过心理学文献、影像资料与案例分析建立基础认知。在此基础上，我以拼贴与手绘的方式提炼每种状态的核心感受，并发展为具有象征性的视觉元素与空间结构。
在视觉表达上，我尝试避免对“痛苦”的直接再现，而转向一种更具幻象感与张力的呈现方式——这些图像并非单纯指向病症本身，而是指向一个对患者而言真实存在、却对他人显得陌生甚至怪诞的世界。通过高饱和色彩、多重叙事与植物性隐喻元素的引入，我构建出一个复杂、流动且具有内部逻辑的视觉空间，使“异常”转化为一种可被观看与体验的感知结构。
在形式上，每一组图像采用AB双图结构，以相似构图呈现状态变化前后的差异，既对应个体感知的转变，也暗示观看者可以通过“视角切换”理解他者。同时，这种结构也隐含另一种可能性：个体通过自身努力，在不同现实之间进行转换。未来，该系列亦可发展为具有视角转换机制的实体媒介（如光栅卡），进一步强化观看与理解之间的互动关系。
通过这一项目，我希望在去除既有刻板印象的同时，使观者重新关注心理状态背后的个体经验，建立更具同理心的理解方式。同时，这一创作也试图为处于类似状态的人提供一种回应：即在混乱与不确定中，个体依然拥有重构自我与感知世界的可能性。
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