To me, collaboration is an experiment—a process that challenges one’s comfort zone and pushes the boundaries of perception and understanding. Its outcomes are often unpredictable and can surpass individual technical skills or personal expressions. The interactions and negotiations that occur during collaboration are inherently meaningful.

However, from a broader perspective, collaboration is not limited to exchanges between artists. It also encompasses the relationships between art and larger societal, economic, and political systems. I see collaboration as a normalized state of existence. Even in seemingly “independent” individual practices, artists constantly interact with materials, media, history, and cultural contexts. When a work enters the realms of exhibition, circulation, or discussion, these interactions evolve into more intricate collaborative networks.

To me, collaboration serves as the underlying logic and operational mechanism of artistic creation. No creator can exist in absolute independence. Art, at its core, is relational—it exists in the dynamic between people and objects, individuals and society, and among different perspectives.

For me, there hasn’t been a single transformative moment. Instead, it is the continuity of mundane, everyday experiences that has driven my creative process. At its core, my motivation for creating is to counteract boredom.

Our lives today are inundated with an overwhelming abundance of information. While many perceive this as something illusory or unreal, what unsettles me the most is how it diminishes our capacity to truly experience boredom.

It is only when I am bored that I begin to notice the subtle details around me—street advertisements, graffiti, or the diverse expressions and gestures of people. This heightened sensitivity to the small, often overlooked aspects of my surroundings is the most important source of inspiration for my work. My creative process is less about sudden epiphanies and more about continuous observation and reflection.

Earlier this year, I had the chance to travel to China with a classmate, and this experience made me realize how fascinating and nuanced it is to engage with different artistic perspectives. Inspired by this journey, we decided to curate a duo exhibition to showcase the works we created during the trip.

Unlike working alone, collaboration requires balancing individual and collective modes of expression. At times, our focal points diverged entirely, which prompted us to find ways to bridge them—either by connecting our ideas and themes or by creating a dialogue through the exhibition’s layout and curation. This process is filled with potential, as collaboration often leads to possibilities that are impossible to achieve in solitary practice.

Moreover, within a collaborative setting, artists serve as reference points for each other, creating a micro-artistic ecosystem. This dynamic allows me to better understand my position within the larger artistic landscape and provides clarity on the scope and trajectory of my work. The process of collaboration not only expands the creative possibilities but also deepens self-awareness and enriches the dialogue between artworks.