FRANCIS CAI
”BIRD IN THE CAGE - SHADOWLANDS”

LANEWAY CAFE, WENTWORTH BUILDING (2022)

Francis Cai, The Strangers, 2020. 40 x 40cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

ARTIST STATEMENT

From the end of January 2020, I began recording an unexpected travel experience that lasted months. Stuck in lockdown in Shanghai, I encountered realms of starkness and loneliness. The images presented in this series can be thought of as mirages, capturing shards of my subconscious from this period of time.

Before the outbreak of the pandemic, people were already accustomed to all sorts of isolation. The cold air of a remote county in the North. A vast swimming pool of a tropical resort, empty but for a single person. Lights blazing from giant monitors in a city, overlooking strangers who appear like non-playing video characters. Bird in The Cage is an abstract depiction of such cold feelings.

We are always trapped in the cage of civilization, the cage of nature, the cage of margins. We are like homeless men who are in search of somewhere to settle down or hide. 

Perhaps that is a more everlasting lockdown.

Francis Cai, Swinging Masks, 2020. 40 x 40cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

Francis Cai, Distancing, 2020. 40 x 40cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

Francis Cai, Sleeping Wintertime, 2020. 40 x 40cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

Francis Cai, A Quiet Corner, 2020. 40 x 40cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

Francis Cai, Bird in the Cage - Shadowlands, 2022, installation view. Photography by Rachel Lai.

Francis Cai is a Chinese photographer and filmmaker based in Sydney/Auckland whose work focuses on individuals’ confusion and self-awareness arising from the post-pandemic era. Francis has completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design and Masters of Moving Image at The University of Sydney.

Verge Projects is a platform that aims to strengthen the University of Sydney community and networks through on-campus art activations. Verge Projects delivers community engaged projects led by and in collaboration with student and student groups. Stepping outside of art faculties and spaces, this program encourages inclusive and creative experiences campus wide.