First Contact

Hanmo (Shelley) Qian

Indianapolis (USA), 2021, mixed (mixed media paper collage with color pencils to add texture and depth, miinor post-production editing on digital media).

“The ambiguity of the background invites viewers to have their own interpretation of the location being in deep space or in deep oceans on earth. What really matters here is the first contact between human beings and nature, represented by the floating whales. There are two human characters in the scene, one interacting directly with nature, and the other indirectly observing the interaction.”

“The interaction I want to highlight in this illustration is the first contact between human beings and the universe after a long-lost connection. The iconic moment of the first contact uses a growing plant as a symbol to build a bridge of trust between the two worlds. After all, human beings are interconnected with nature. We cannot exist outside of it. Instead, we should strive for a symbiotic relationship.”