Chao Er Dai

1984

Well

POST WINGS

"Mutual Affection" is Zhao Erdai's concrete gaze into his own marital emotions. In the work, two bodies cling to and overlap with each other, the boundaries soft yet not consuming one another; in their closeness, each retains its own weight and rhythm, presenting a stability and understanding that have settled over time. This is not a moment of passion, but a natural state formed through long-term companionship.

The figures' postures lack dramatic movements and intentionally rendered emotions; instead, they quietly exist in a manner of introspection and companionship. This treatment reflects the unwavering feelings between Zhao Erdai and his wife—warm and deep, yet never sentimental; profound and certain, embodying strength without the need for words. Here, love is not a vow, but a shared vigilance and companionship that unfolds day by day.

The hollow structure at the bottom of the piece suggests that "emotion" does not merely reside between the two individuals, but functions as a container that carries life's experiences together, symbolizing the years and daily life shared in marriage. This configuration can also be contrasted with another sculpture, "Eternity"—a work currently housed in the Penghu Erdai Art Museum, which similarly expresses the core of persistent and unchanging emotions through a refined vocabulary of form. If "Eternity" emphasizes the immortality of time, then "Mutual Affection" pays more attention to companionship in the daily; together, they reflect each other and constitute Zhao Erdai's profound and subtle tribute to marriage and life companionship in his later years.

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