夕化粧

Yuanyuan Hu’s Sunset Flower Blooming (夕化粧/Yugesho, 2012) is set in the countryside in 1960s China. A grandmother sits and hums in her walled garden as her granddaughters play with evening primroses (夕化粧/Yugesho). The growing shadows let us know that the day is coming to an end – the time at which the primroses open their small pink buds. The granddaughters decorate their grandmother’s hair with primroses and one girl brings her a mirror to show her their handiwork. The girl pauses and looks down at her grandmother’s feet encased in tiny pointy shoes. She then moves her own bare feet in large, boxy sandals as if comparing sizes.