Megalopolis, 2020

Beijing, Tianjin and Heibeiji are metropolises merging to form a Megalopolis called Jing Jin Ji of over 130 million people connected by high speed rail. At the base is the human scale of the holdout house, otherwise called a nail house, the last property to sell in a development, so-called due to the phrase 'if a nail sticks up hammer it down'. Infamously nail houses went viral resulting in internet censorship for symbolising resistance. Within the context of this painting it becomes a meditative space to contemplate the existential relationship to civilisation. A deer in the left corner represents nature vs civilisation, Capitalism's exploitation of nature and mythologically the messenger of Gods. The mid ground is the harnessing of the landscape for civilisation; the 3 metropolises merging into a megalopolis. Hovering over the megalopolis is 1 of the sacred mountains the Emperor would have traditionally visited to sanctify his divine right to rule over his subjects. Mythologies centralised onto nature's monoliths help unify people to form civilisations. In the sky is the future map of the largest human project in history; the Belt and road initiative, the revitalisation of the silk roads connecting over 70 nations through investment to infrastructure.