My MFA thesis project is a comic that tells the story of a little girl who, on her way to her hometown, dreams of her deceased grandfather transforming into a penguin and jumping out of a watermelon. During my MFA, in my research and art practice, I explored my cultural identity and personal history as an international artist from China. Thus, for my thesis work, I am thinking of my hometown, Huzhou, known for its calligraphy brushes and as a water town. The residents there are referred to as "pillow-water households." When contemplating writing a story with such a geographical backdrop, I recalled the fragmented descriptions of my mom’s speaking of her childhood, whose family was torn apart and bankrupt due to the turmoil and chaos of the Cultural Revolution. Consequently, the terms used for grandparents are derived from the Wu dialect, and the narratives and depictions about architecture, pulleys, wells, watermelons, cold drink shops, wedding ceremonies, and steamships are all inspired by her stories. As the tale revolves around childhood memories and a passed away elder, I inevitably reflected on my moments with my grandfather – his childish mischief due to diabetes and paralyzing stroke, yet being very loving to me. After his passing, I would dream of him, despite knowing it to be impossible. Therefore I chose a penguin as a character to represent Dia-Dia which stems from its impossibility. I incorporated all these elements into my story, becoming somehow autobiographical. Half a century later, I am grateful to be able to reference photos and use Clip Studio Paint to work on my thumbnails and pencils. However, during the inking stage, I still chose to use the calligraphy brushes produced in my hometown along with ink, allowing the story to communicate with my hometown 6,800 miles away, not just in content but also in form and texture. In the final installation, I provided an introduction to the geographical background of the story, the completed comic books, and a display of all the pages. The targeted audience for this work are people who know the specific geographical and historical context of this story without explanation. But I believe even though some of my readers have no knowledge about the context at all, they can still resonate with the story and get the emotion flowing with the river. Instagram: @chenbf22 Categories MFA Thesis 2024 Tags MCAD MFA 2024 MCAD MFA MFA MFA Thesis 2024