Nothing lasts forever, no beauty lasts forever. We are all at the mercy of life and death.

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Vanitas are symbolic works that show the transience of life, futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. During the conceptualisation and painting of this work, Teng took inspiration from NTU Chinese Dance Concert 2018 - Inner Reflexion VII - Peonies and Chrysanthemum 秋风词 that she was in charge of. The concert narrative revolved around a romantic love story set in ancient china, and oversaw the rise and fall of a prosperous empire. Fragility of life, fleeting moments and love in all forms were explored. The concert was titled Peonies and Chrysanthemums because in Chinese culture, peonies represent romance, prosperity and abundance, whereas, chrysanthemums signify death, grief bereavement. Hence I thought it was apt to use peony flowers as a motif for my vanitas. Cut flowers have always been loved by many. Yet, no flower lasts forever, no beauty lasts forever, everything will eventually come to an end.