As implied by the title, The Other Shore is a reference to the Japanese mythology around the infamous red spider lily, famously known for its connection with death. 彼岸花, or the flower of the Other shore, is believed to be the only sight gone souls could set eyes on before reincarnation. Usually found around graveyards, the flower is considered a taboo as people rumoured it gets its red colour by extracting the blood from the dead.

Yuen disregarded the superstitious symbolism of red spider lilies, by representing both wilting and blooming bulbs of the flower, he draws the viewers attention to the overlooked connection between death and life – there is no death without life and vice versa. There will be a new blooming flower from the same stem, as the memories of the dead remains.

As the viewer walked in the installation, they will have to make active effort to look up to inspect details of the yarn structure, encouraging us to look back and respect those who came before us with a positive mindset. Despite the bodily and fleshy red colour and almost spiderweb-like composition, the work should not be  strange nor threatening, but welcoming and warm, as if the audience is walking into the womb, the beginning of life.

Beside multiple cultural and artists references, The Other Shore is also a comment on the artist’s confusion in his own identity. Being a Hong-Kong-born artist working in the UK, using a China-made iPhone to search for Japanese references, Yuen feels disassociated with his surrounding, struggling to figure out the one place he belongs, this installation marks the starting point of this exploration journey.