Pratt BFA Communications Design Thesis

Yuwei Peng Illustration

Aging, illness and amnesia

Experience
Fine Art
Illustration

The thesis content is based on my personal experiences with a family member’s memory loss.

This winter, I visited my grandpa at the hospital, and it is where my inspiration came from. In recent years, he suffered severely from Alzheimer’s Disease. When I met my grandpa, his mind was in chaos. Every new input memory will be washed away in few minutes, just like the waves always hit the beach and erase all the marks. While the amnesia affects his ability to think so much, the kind and knowledgeable grandpa we know has already gone. And the whole family started to accept the fact that we are already lost my grandfather to some extent. Someone’s existence is been erased, while he or she is still alive. And facing the feeling of saying goodbye, all I can do is document it before it is too late.

During the visits, I deeply understand what time can bring to a person’s body and mind. What I just discovered made me started to rethink my relationship with the concept of aging. I did two series of works. The three acrylic paintings are focusing on my grandfather’s memory loss. The other five illustrations are based on an overall understanding of aging. Some related topics such as death, agony, and isolation will be included.

behance.net/yuweipeng2