Subtle Bloom
Specifications & Dimensions
Handbound, Japanese bind, Linen cover
64 pages (including cover)
148 x 210 mm (A5)
Subtle Bloom / 微盛 (2021)
Subtle Bloom is a series that celebrates the importance of love and togetherness in sibling relationships, like sisterhood. The series captures the unspoken and unseen tenderness found in sibling relationships and delves into the ambiguous future and impermanence of human lives.
Flowers play a significant role as both Xin Lui and her sister's Chinese names contain the word ‘蕾’ [lěi], which derives from ‘花蕾’ [huā lěi], meaning flower bud. The evolution from flower buds to withered flowers reflects the transience of time, the journey from birth to death.
Photography by Ng Xin Lui
Text by Ng Lui (Huang Lei)
Subtle Bloom was one of the pieces exhibited for Objectifs' Shooting Home Youth Awards (SHYA) 2021.
The tale begins with two children,
You and I,
Who don't see eye to eye.
It wasn't easy to share,
This grand universe fair and square.
But it's the little things -
Taro milk tea half sugar -
One cup split becomes twice sweeter.
We learn with time that
Sharing can be just divine.
Before the last page is turned,
And we take turns to go,
I want to let you know
After this fleeting story
We will live on in each other's memory.