Lily Lei Ka Wai

Marriage

This work explores personal freedom and cultural constraints, critiquing societal pressures that define women through marriage. Subverting traditional Chinese wedding motifs, the artist reimagines classical dragon and phoenix symbols into satirical vignettes of past romantic missteps, investigating the suffocation of forced expectations. Crafted using goldwork, needle lacing, and stumpwork on mesh and leather, the piece transforms heavy gold wedding bracelets into tools of autonomy. Connected by a broken chain, these 3D embroidered bracelets symbolize the rupture of generational cycles. This intuitive, painterly embroidery champions artistic liberation, declaring that women forge their own paths and celebrate freedom.

Mentor: Kseniia Guseva