Cháo

Cháo is the Chinese word for “tide,” and also carries the contemporary meaning of “trend.” The work takes the Qiantang River tidal bore as its starting point, drawing on the long tradition of gathering to witness the phenomenon. Han Ren reworks photographs shared by spectators online, translating these circulating images into a large-scale carved drawing on a plasterboard wall. The turbulent forms of the tide are reconstructed through sawing, chopping, and chiseling, turning digital images into a physical surface. The work considers how natural phenomena are repeatedly photographed, shared, and transformed as they move between physical experience, digital circulation, and collective perception.