We are but mirrors of society and the world-at-large, intimately connected through
composition and structure in a mixture of creation, destruction, and renewal.
"Kosmos" (which reads as order in English), speaks of a harmonious arrangement of
parts in a system. What transpires in the universe (macrocosm) parallels the
individual or self (microcosm), a concept rooted in Greek philosophy.

As the individual embarks on a search for meaning and the purpose of existence, s/
he identifies with the construct of the world. Loi Cai Xiang uses biological processes
to illustrate the relation between the two. Within the body, homeostasis is a
tendency of our body to adapt or resist change to maintain a constant internal
environment of factors such as temperature and metabolism which, in turn, maintain
life. At a macro level, stability in society is guarded through similar adaptation and
resistance via policy adjustment and maintenance of its status quo - to sustain the
harmony and balance of a collective state of existence.

"Autolysis", one of the paintings titled within the exhibition, refers to the destruction
of injured or dying cells by their own enzymes to promote wound healing, or during
decomposition. Nutrients and molecules are returned to the earth to fuel new life.
Consider this parallel in society, with the constant upgrading of infrastructure and
buildings weighted down with heritage and memory, viewed as architectural ruins in
the face of development and efficiency. Given competing needs of society versus the
self, the artist questions if it is possible to strike a balance of individualism and
purpose within a collective state of existence; while in search of personal meaning to
life and living.

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Text by: Deborah Lim, Curator, Chan+Hori Contemporary