The creation thesis “There is a shadow behind the mask” originates from Li Yi-zhen’s creative discourse, which mainly discusses my childhood trauma and the origin of the unpleasant memory. In the process of the creation research, I focus on the experience of my personal characteristics of “mask” and “shadow” and study on the historic context of the mask in painting and on the artists’ documents and works which have some inspiration for my personal creative experience. I hope to achieve the effect of self-healing by analyzing myself endlessly.

In the series of works “There is a shadow behind the mask”, the creation is separated into two major parts. I. The traumatic childhood memory belongs to the unpleasant memory and experience in dark colors. II. My present mental state is pleasant in the colors of high brightness, but some hidden symbols suggest a little unhappiness in it.

The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter One is the introduction including the research motive, purpose, dimension, and method. Chapter Two is the discussion on the theoretical foundation. Kidology will serve as the basis to analyze the works related to the topic of the artists such as Frida Kahlo (1907－1954) and Yoshitomo Nara (1959－). I also add the historical context of the eastern and western research on the mask. Chapter Three is the creative concept and practice, describing the creative process and media techniques in details. Chapter Four is the analysis of the works. In this chapter, I will list my works during my graduate school years from 2013 to 2016 in relation to the thesis as the center of the discussion. Chapter Five is the conclusion, in which I will have a retrospect of the works after entering graduate school and make a conclusion for future creative expectation.