Holly Lee’s Claw Script (Op. 19), produced in 2013, comprises a suite of eight works realized as archival pigment inkjet prints, each measuring 17 × 22 inches. The series was conceived as an edition of five; however, only one complete edition set was printed and is currently held in the collection of the Lee Ka-sing and Holly Lee Archive. Shortly after its completion, an exhibition set in the same format was produced for a presentation in New Zealand and subsequently entered a private collection. In addition, a small number of individual prints from the series were made as gifts for friends.
Claw Script was first exhibited in 2013 at GALLERY 50, where Lee Ka-sing presented a responding work, A Love Poem for Holly, upon Viewing Her New Work, Claw Script. Holly Lee also composed a brief artist statement for the series, reflecting on language and writing, and tracing a tactile association between the familiar sensation of her cat’s claw and the ancient forms of Oracle Bone Script.
“In the Chinese philosophical anthology Huainanzi (139 B.C.), it is written: “In ancient times, when Cang Jie invented writing, Heaven rained down millet and ghosts wailed at night.” People felt both blessed and cursed, recognizing that writing held a certain power over them. China’s first writing system, known as Oracle Bone Inscriptions, consisted of characters carved into turtle shells and animal bones. Discovered and unearthed in the late 19th century, these inscriptions primarily record divinations, sacrificial hunts, wars, and natural disasters.
Chinese writing has continued to evolve, and its characters, with their unique formal beauty, developed into the highly refined art form of calligraphy. Reflecting on the origins of Chinese writing, I have come to fully appreciate the history, beauty, and cultural significance of calligraphy.
This mini-series of new works did not come about by chance. When I noticed the scratches on the floor—many made by Suki, my cat—they evoked a strong and familiar feeling, almost with aesthetic qualities akin to the Oracle Bone Script. In a way, Suki expresses his anxiety, curiosity, and perhaps even joy and pain through these remarkable markings. I’ve titled this work the Claw Script series as a playful response and tribute to the ancient, sophisticated, and spellbinding Oracle Bone Script.” (Holly Lee, 2013)