“Growth” represents a dynamic increase, connecting the two temporal nodes of “the past” and “the present,” embodying the force that moves upward amidst wandering. It is first and foremost the growth of Xu Xiaowei’s personal experience, representing the individual aesthetic autonomy in artistic creation, and is introspective. In the process of cultivating the “inner self,” there are always two selves that argue, entangle, collide, attempting to seize the high ground of thought, then exhaust themselves, communicate, embrace, and reconcile. This fluctuation of internal growth is also present when turning “outward,” where the self needs to wear down and harmonize with the environment, moving from the predicament of that time to the comfort of the present. “Seeing myself” leads to “seeing all beings,” and the universal fluctuations and balances that one seeks as a sample of the self are what constitute growth.

“Growth” in the visual aspect uses the split-screen form to distinguish the two sides of the “self,” which always perceive each other yet remain independent. When the viewer focuses on the details, they enter the independent world of one side of “me,” which is vivid yet incomplete, always gazing at the other “me.” Stepping back to take in the whole picture, both sides are included to reveal the complete “self.” Within the field of vision, mountains and rivers are material, the earth is material, and they remain unchanged throughout the ages, symbolizing the eternity of beauty. The transient, material “me” and the other immaterial spiritual “me” are always perceiving and searching for each other. They traverse together through dawn, fallen leaves, dusk, and dense fog, across lakes and shimmering waves, meeting on floating islands to achieve the complete beauty of the individual in the present moment.