When I think of the concept of nothing, the first words that come to mind are from the Tao Te Ching. I memorized the entire text of the Tao Te Ching as a child. Although I don’t know what the text I memorized means. But it’s like a concept of nothing is rooted in me. So I started to go back and read the Tao Te Ching that I had memorized, to see its translation. Many of these phrases talk about nothing and nothing. Here are some of the passages that I think are most representative.
不尚贤，使民不争。不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲，使民心不乱。是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹，弱其志，强其骨。常使民无知无欲，使夫智者不敢为也。为无为，则无不治 。
天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。是以圣人后其身而身先，外其身而身存。非以其无私邪！故能成其私。
上善若水。水善利万物而不争，处众人之所恶，故几于道。居善地，心善渊，与善仁，言善信，政善治，事善能，动善时。夫唯不争，故无尤。
三十辐，共一毂，当其无，有车之用。埏埴以为器，当其无，有器之用。凿户牖以为室，当其无，有室之用。故有之以为利，无 之以为用。
The most representative of these is the last paragraph. “Thirty pieces of wood make up the wheel, and it is because there is space in the middle that we have the wheel. Craftsmen make pottery. It is because there is space in the middle that we have utensils. They built houses with hollow places for doors, Windows and walls. We have a house to live in. Therefore, “have” is convenient, “nothing” plays its role. There’s a trick here. In the Tao Te Ching, the “nothing” of utensils plays a role in “having”, which has a purpose. But does the “nothing” in our mind have this purpose? I have no way of distinguishing, for the ‘nothing’ of the mind is not ‘nothing’ when it is for a definite purpose. So I think, when I do this work as an artist, I don’t want to distinguish between nothing. Just express it.
Another chapter in Tao Te Ching inspired me to make “nothing”.
五色令人目盲，五音令人耳聋，五味令人口爽，驰骋畋猎，令人心发狂，难得之货，令人行妨。是以圣人为腹不为目，故去彼取此。
Therefore, I choose to use “five colors” to make this work