"From That Day On" is an ongoing project. The images metaphorically or candidly reflect the impact of several major events in my life, and my memory fragments of these periods are constantly erased and recalled as my psychological state changes. The motivation behind those images involves family, love, changes in the social environment and world events. The works here were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. The spaces and close-up objects absent of life project my emotions—loneliness, depression, disappointment, anxiety, and loss. This sense of isolation comes not only from the implementation of the stay-at-home order, but also from the suppression and ostracism of the US government as a Chinese immigrant living in the United States, and the feeling of powerlessness in the torrent of society. The work also explores the futility of the two-dimensional space. Flat screens help us communicate with the world, but its vain attempt to mimic the three-dimensional space leaves us deluded and confused by its intangibleness.

Lingfei Ren is a visual artist based in New York. She graduated from BA Fine Arts at Southeast University, Nanjing, followed by MA Arts Management at George Mason University, Washington DC, and MFA Photography, Video and Related Media at School of Visual Arts, New York. She started her career as an educator working and interning at Shanghai Museum, National Museum of Asian Art and Hirshhorn Museum. Now she is a curator at space240 NYC and a photographer for WSJ and Wallpaper* China. Her works were exhibited in New York including La Mama La Galleria, Site:Brooklyn Gallery, Greenpoint Gallery, SVA Gramercy Gallery, and Filter Space in Chicago.