NC Qin transforms ancient Grecian armor into fragile glass sculptures. Warrior’s Lament is inspired by a battered Spartan helmet made from bronze that the artist encountered at the Altes Museum in Berlin. Though the dents and indentations preserved on the Spartan helmets may appear to signal defeat, they once marked victory: Spartan warriors deliberately damaged their helmets after successful battles as offerings to the gods.

Qin creates the work using the lost-wax casting process. She first sculpts the form in clay, then makes silicone molds, and produces wax replicas that are encased in heat-resistant molds. During firing, the wax melts away and molten glass slowly fills the hollow cavity, capturing every crack, dent, and surface detail of the original. Through this meticulous process, Qin merges Chinese historical traditions with Western philosophical inquiry to examine the weight of pride, protection, and perception.

This paradox—where triumph appears as ruin—lies at the heart of Qin’s work. By casting the helmet in glass, a material that is unyielding yet fragile, she overturns its original function. The armor becomes ornamental rather than protective, heavy yet vulnerable. In this transformation, Qin exposes the tension between outward power and inner fragility: the armor we project versus the vulnerability it conceals. The sculpture asks who truly bears the cost of victory, and whether anyone can emerge from war unscathed.