THE EXPLORERS
The Explorers is an ongoing series of artworks creating the representation and future I want to see in space exploration.
Keep Moving in That Forward Direction, 2017
Acrylic on Paper
The woman dons a space suit and a determined look on her face, ready to face new challenges. The portrait is based on a photograph of Yuriko Oka (portrayed by Mika Katsuragi) who is a fictional character tasked with defending Earth with her Monster Attack Team, in The Return of Ultraman (1971).
Ultraman was a childrens’ show from the artist’s parents’ generation, and grew up with a few action figures gifted from her Taiwanese grandparents. The work becomes an homage to the artist’s fellow women who pave the way in aerospace fields today, and to her wish to see strong role models in media and in science who look like herself.
Pale Blue Dot, 2020
Digital Painting
The artwork is titled “Pale Blue Dot”, a name coined by Carl Sagan and referring to the way the Earth looks against the vastness of space. The artist chooses to depict a group of four friends who are civilian astronauts excitedly pointing out how Earth looks from the surface of the moon. They are specifically civilian astronauts who are mostly enjoying their time on the moon instead of an astronaut carrying out a government mission, representing the vision of making space accessible to the public, and reaching space is no longer one of national pride but instead a deeply personal experience. The experience is shared through the reflection of the helmet of one of the friends, meant to symbolize the viewer. As an astronaut, what is your new place in the universe? What reflections would you draw from seeing the Earth from afar rather than standing on it? What feelings would you be having underneath that reflective visor?
Heroine with a Burning Heart, 2021
Digital Painting
In this piece, a girl picks up her pencil aimed create her next idea. Her heart is passionate and filled with potential, and her mind is the infinite universe. The line coming out from her chest is the trajectory of a rocket launching to space, curving to meet her pencil as if she’s taking her ideas directly from her heart. This piece is dedicated to young students as they ask questions about the world around them.
Drawing from the artist’s Taiwanese roots, the title of the piece describes the girl as a heroine, based on a quote from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms which reads, "英雄者，胸懷大志，腹有良謀，有包藏宇宙之機",which roughly translates to "Heroes have great ambitions and good strategies in their chests. They are all people who have the mind to accommodate the universe and carry it forth."
Wanderer Above a Sea of Vapor, 2020
Digital Painting
You have finally reached Enceladus, a small moon on the outskirts of Saturn's rings. Stare across at the plumes of water vapor erupting from a deep ocean beneath the surface.
This artwork is inspired by “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” by Caspar David Friedrich, but replacing both the explorer and the landscape. The explorer holds a box-like scientific device to measure the atmospheric composition, hinting at a future where scientists have ventured past Mars to explore more of our solar system. The water vapor plumes in the sky surround Saturn, and are drawn in the style of the auspicious traditional Chinese cloud motifs, which are meant to bring good fortune.
You Are Thriving, 2020
Digital Painting
A lone astronaut is stranded in deep waters on a distant planet. Despite her circumstances, she finds optimism and confidence by grounding herself mentally and physically, portrayed by the terrarium of succulent plants within her astronaut helmet that remind her of Earth (her home), and help her survive by transforming her carbon dioxide exhalations back into oxygen for her to breathe. Even in this sea of uncertainty, she continues to thrive. Quarantined at home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and amidst a rejection from an important PhD fellowship, the artist channeled her feelings into this work in a search for positivity.
"Recently Caroline has begun to bring [her passions of art and science] together by connecting her artwork to her identity as a scientist and as a Taiwanese-American woman in STEM... Lately she’s been centering Asian female astronauts in her artwork. Caroline hopes that by doing so, she can create sources of inspiration for others that she didn’t see as she was trying to imagine herself as a scientist while growing up. One recent piece that Caroline is particularly proud of, titled, “You are Thriving,” features an Asian American astronaut who is waist-deep in water, seemingly with nowhere to go. However, despite the challenges and uncertainty that she is faced with, she is grounded in her own identity — symbolized by a terrarium in the helmet of her spacesuit. Remembering who she is keeps her focused and allows her to continue to move forward and explore. "
-- Columbia Climate School's State of the Planet blog
August 24, 2022
I would like to thank the LDEO Open House Committee, Miriam Cinquegrana, Alexis Earl, my mentors, my parents, and my friends for bringing The Explorers exhibition to life at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory's 2022 Open House.