What is 小凤 (Phoenix at Sundown) and how did it come about?
I began making this project as a response to my grandmother’s progressing dementia in late 2022. Her name is Shuzhen Liu, and when I call her by her nickname, “小凤,” she is surprised. I tell her stories from her past, and she laughs, embarrassed, and says her memory is fading because she’s already in her sixties, but when I remind her she’s ninety, she gasps in disbelief.
I moved by myself to the United States in 2021 from Dalian, China. I tried to observe and feel, from her perspective, what it is like to experience simultaneously the presence of memory and its absence. I engaged in a multigenerational collaboration where I directed my mother to make images of my grandmother and her possessions during video calls between China and the US. I also made images here as a way to hold onto those fleeting moments of recognition and to explore what it means to live with memories that slip away.
Artwork about dementia brings attention to a condition that many people experience but find difficult to talk about. It opens up conversations and encourages empathy, helping others feel less alone in their own experiences. By portraying both the pain and beauty of dementia, I hope to inspire audiences to reflect on their own relationships with memory and aging, and perhaps see the colorful moments amidst the challenges in their lives.
Who initially inspired you to grapple with dementia?
My grandmother was diagnosed with dementia in 2016. Since 2018, my mother’s side of the family has lived together to care for her, and through this, I’ve witnessed how she navigates her world and how my family responds with unwavering love and optimism. In the evenings, when her symptoms worsen, she often comes downstairs fully dressed, asking my aunt, “Is it time for us to go home?” These small moments reflect her yearning for familiarity.
After dinner, she sneaks into the kitchen to “steal” an apple, slips it into her pocket, and puts it in the drawer of her bedside table without anyone noticing. One morning, my aunt smelled rotten apples and opened her drawer releasing the scent. These kinds of moments happen daily, yet my family always responds with patience and kindness. Witnessing this devotion has shown me what love truly looks like — steady, compassionate, and enduring — even in the face of such challenges.
How has working on dementia-related art changed you?
Working on dementia has profoundly shaped my understanding of connection and legacy within my family, bridging the 7,000 miles that separate us. Retracing the handmade mahjong set crafted by my grandfather, Xinping Zhan became a meditative act of preserving his memory. Through art, I find a way to connect with family members, whether they are still in this world or not.
My work often explores themes of family, memory, and identity. One project focused on tree burls that eerily resembled human forms, evoking memories of my grandmother’s dangling breasts, my father’s elbow, and the tumor from my grandfather’s CT scan. It made me wonder if the tree might have once been human. My book project, Letter to My Father, combines sunset photographs taken in the US — which is his sunrise back in China — with images from our time together before I left.
These projects allow me to process emotions surrounding aging, memory, and transformation while remaining central to my artistic practice.
How has 小凤 (Phoenix at Sundown) been received?
My work focusing on dementia has resonated with diverse audiences, particularly caregivers and families of individuals with dementia. Many caregivers have expressed gratitude for the way it reflects their experiences, often describing the images and stories as a source of solace and understanding. They see in the work a mirror of their own emotional journeys — of love, patience, and loss.
Exhibiting the work in galleries has also sparked broader community engagement. Visitors often express how it made them reconsider their perceptions of aging and memory, recognizing the humanity and dignity in every stage of life. These reactions affirm my belief in art as a bridge for empathy and understanding.
This work is dedicated to: My grandmother
Find more information from Yuxiao Mu on the website.
