Homecoming | Little elephant
《回家》
“Homecoming” was inspired by a real news story from Malaysia:
A little elephant tragically lost its life on the highway,
while its mother stood guard, unwilling to leave for a long time.
The illustration contrasts two worlds: on one side, the harsh reality; on the other, a gentle heaven.
The little elephant passes through a ring of fire, walking toward light, peace, and rebirth.
This piece is dedicated to nature and every profound bond we share with it,
and also to every soul still searching for the way home.
🕊️《回家》灵感来自马来西亚一则真实新闻：
一头小象在公路上不幸遇难离世了，
母象守在原地久久不肯离去。
画面左右分别呈现残酷的现实与温柔的天堂，
小象穿越火圈，走向光明与和平的重生之路。
这是献给大自然与每段深沉连结的作品，
也献给每一个仍在找寻归途的灵魂。
Homecoming - Little Elephant
Two worlds collide, loss in black and white, hope in color.
黑白是真实的失落，色彩是想象中的安息。
On Mother’s Day 2025, a young elephant was struck and killed by a lorry while crossing the East-West Highway near the Belum-Temenggor Forest Reserve in Malaysia. Its mother stood beside the truck for nearly five hours, grieving in silence. Even after the mother elephant was released back into the wild, it still returned to the crime scene and wandered around looking for its child. This tragic and true story inspired me to create “Homecoming.”
The right side of the artwork is rendered in black and white, representing the harshness of reality. A mother elephant cries beside the lorry; blood and tears blend on the ground. Broken branches, caution tape, and emotionless human figures filming the scene surround her. The only color is red, the color of blood and warning.
On the left, the baby elephant steps through a ring of fire, still wounded, but walking toward a peaceful paradise: a smiling sun, doves carrying olive leaves and lilies, banana trees, and clouds forming a staircase to the sky. At the top of the stairs glows a “restart” button, surrounded by colorful daisies and fluffy clouds, symbols of rebirth, peace, and freedom.
This piece is a tribute to the baby elephant and to every voiceless creature suffering in silence.
It is a call for compassion, a reflection on loss, and a hope that even the most wounded souls may one day find their way back home.
2025年的母親節當天，
馬來西亞一頭年幼小象在Belum-Temenggor 森林保護區附近橫越公路時，被一輛大卡車撞死。
牠的母親在車旁守候了將近五小時，久久不願離開。事後即使母象被安放回大自然，
它依然回來案發現場附近徘徊尋找孩子。
這個真實事件震撼了無數人，也成為我創作《回家》的出發點。
畫面右側以黑白呈現現實世界的冰冷殘酷：
母象低頭倚靠著卡車，悲傷哭泣，試圖把卡車推開並且把孩子救出來；
地面上的血跡與淚水混合，警戒線、折斷的樹枝與圍觀拍攝的人群冷眼旁觀。
唯一的顏色，是那刺眼的紅色, 血與警戒。
而畫面左側，則是小象走向的“天堂”之地。
牠穿越火圈，帶著仍未止息的傷痕，走向一個充滿溫柔色彩的世界：
微笑的太陽照耀著，白鴿嘴銜橄欖葉與白百合在空中飛翔，
雲朵化作階梯，引導牠通往上方的「重啓按鈕」，
周圍盛開著彩色的雛菊與香蕉樹，象徵和平、重生與自由。
這幅作品獻給那只小象，也獻給所有在現實中受苦卻被遺忘的生命。
願牠“回家”的旅程，喚醒人類對大自然的憐憫與反思。
⸻
This illustration was not easy to process, such a heartbreaking story,
but I hope this piece speaks for those who can’t.
Thank you for taking the time to feel it with me.
✨ ❤️ ✨
這插畫作品，創作過程沉重，也很難受，
但我希望透過這幅畫，
讓那些無法為自己發聲的生命被聽見。
謝謝你願意花時間感受這段旅程。
✨ ❤️
✨
Project : Personal Project
Year of Creation: June 2025
Tools : Procreate, Adobe Photoshop