Chun Yin Rainbow Chan Artist Statement:

In the Face of Change (2026) and Sisters (2026) are two drawings of intimate daily life inspired by the white jade orchid (Michelia × alba). Commonly found throughout Hong Kong, its delicate white flowers emit a clean, sweet fragrance that evokes memories of street vendors selling fresh buds during the flowering season.

I recently encountered a traditional Wei Tou lament in which the bride-to-be compares herself and her sisters to clusters of white jade orchids scattered by the wind. The flowers, suggestive of innocence and tenderness, are thrown into disarray as the sisterhood is broken apart. She describes the sorrow churning in her gut, a visceral and bodily portrayal of grief. As girls cannot control their own fate, she wishes her sisters a lifetime of peace if they are never to meet again.

The white jade orchid also holds a personal significance for my family. For my mum, its scent recalls her mother, who used to wear the fresh flowers in her hair. As my grandmother passed away when I was a baby, she exists through stories, certain mannerisms in my mum and through the lament melodies she once sang.

These two drawings are quiet meditations on matrilineal memory, separation and cultural inheritance.