Since moving his studio nearly two decades ago to the Tiantai Mountains, Liang has found the solitude not only to focus on raising his silkworms, but also to deeply meditate upon the rich history and philosophy embodied in these sacred grounds. He became especially taken by the Buddhist belief in the equality of all living things and similarly in the Taoist notion of Qi Wu (equality of things.) For Liang, caring about silkworms is equal to caring about life and people: as he has said, “When I see a silkworm, I treat it like a baby.” Accordingly, Babies/Nature Series No. 15 features silkworm cocoons delicately swaddled in sewn red blankets. Since the first iteration of this installation was completed in 1994, Liang has created several versions whose acquired meanings differ in accordance to how, when, and why they are shown. For instance, in commemoration of the tragic Sichuan earthquake in 2008, Liang created a version in which visitors could either adopt a “baby”, or place it within the growing circle of cocoons on the floor. In all their iterations, Babies is a tender yet powerful meditation on what it means to cherish something, and what it means to be human.

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