“Panta Rhei” tears a sheet from Greek philosopher Heraclitus’ summary of the ever-changing nature of existence, where “one cannot step twice into the same stream.” In the heady pace of today’s urban lifestyle, this adage is especially apparent. Straw paper, as a medium which is tossed aside only to be re-formed, is a testament to human life as it is wiped away again and again. In this series, Liu breaks down straw paper step by step, transforming it into pulp, and then drying it into a stone-like effect. The traces of personal information as it passes away is further emphasized and refined through this process. Within the cracks, the artist inserts gold, which forms a sharp contrast to the expendability of straw paper.


“Panta Rhei”是古希腊哲学家赫拉克利特的观点，意指万物皆流，无物永驻，人无法两次踏入同一条河流，当你再次抬腿的时候，此河流已非彼河流。这在如今快节奏的城市生活中尤为明显，草纸，作为废弃纸张的回收与再制作的媒介，它是人们生存痕迹一次次抹平的见证，在这个系列里，刘任将草纸进一步的消解，制作成纸浆风干后接近于石头的效果，个人信息流逝的痕迹在这个过程里被进一步的强调与提炼，同时在空隙中嵌入黄金，与草纸的廉价的消耗性形成强烈的反差。