The Snake and the Horse are Friends
Category: Visual Art
Author(s): Madelyn Hendricks
Presenter(s): Madelyn Hendricks
Do you know the Chinese Zodiac? How the twelve animals race across the country to reach God, represented by the sun, the moon, and the passages of time? You probably know the order: The rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. People consider them symbolic, but the animals do not represent the new year; they carry it on their backs. It’s a silly concept: You win a race where your reward is to bear the responsibility of new life. And even after making it to the finish line, they still have to run their races. Like the fire horse under the moon who must make it before morning, or the snake which wraps itself in red luck to show new beginnings. They run with us, so at the end of the day, we are not running our race alone. But no one talks about the end of the race, or how it is even possible for a snake to come before a horse. The secret lies in what we carry and what we put forward. I believe we are all running a race, but we tend to forget the snake tied to our leg. We forget who surrounds and inspires us. Welcome to my yearly process, represented by my digital work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my race with you, because not everyone gets the chance to see what I carry with me.