[Co-exhibition] We made it through the Wilderness

[Co-exhibition] We made it through the Wilderness

The triptych depicts the landscape of Wells using the Chinese word teacher stamp 改正 [goi2][jing3], which means ‘correction’ in English.

The town of Wells and the surrounding regions (on the shared territory of seven First Nations: 𝙇𝙝𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙤, 𝙉𝙖𝙯𝙠𝙤, 𝙇𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙠’𝙪𝙯, 𝙐𝙡𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙤, ?𝙀𝙨𝙙𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙝, 𝙓𝙖𝙩śū𝙡𝙡, 𝙎𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙘𝙬, and 𝙇𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙙𝙡𝙞) have gone through multiple transformations since miners and prospectors first moved in more than 150 years ago. Mining, logging, and wildfires have been changing the natural landscape and shaping the community’s livelihood.

Jack of Clubs Lake, a 2-km-long lake surrounded by forest at the entrance of Wells, was heavily polluted by mining. I and fellow artists visited the lake for plein air during the residency in spring of 2024. While the ecosystem is taking its time to recover, a new gold mine has been approved. The lake will soon no longer be the same as when we visited.

Stamps/chops/seals are usually used to sign, validate, facilitate marking, etc. I want to use stamps to express. I like the labour of repeating stamping and turning the ink marks into abstract images. And I would love to hear your thoughts on this experimental triptych.

無論research或creative practice，時常提醒自己要有breakdance精神：give and take；這幅偽山水畫既是實驗作品，亦是用來表達對Wells淘金鎮的情感。

「樹木真美 kiki mami～」

One of my favourite Cantopop songs, translated in English: Authentic Beauty of Trees (?)

In the Artists Talk, Skai Fowler, the facilitator, asked a thought-provoking question: In what ways can we navigate art to contribute to a healthier environment? I have been asking myself many times because whatever we make extracts resources. Can I make something better than nothing? I am aware of the sustainability of materials, and that’s how I started craving foliage on the streets. The philosophy of East Asia aesthetics fascinates me, and the production of sumi ink and rice papers seems to have a smaller environmental footprint. Therefore, I explored these materials when I restarted making art after moving to a new country.

But there was a time when I felt lost. I wanted to make large vibrate colour work to meet popular tastes. So, I went for using thick paper and chemical additives. After countless failures, I questioned why I pursued something other media like acrylic and printmaking could already do. More importantly, what is the beauty and meaning I genuinely appreciate? 

The simplicity and subtleness of making art with nature. And it takes time.

這幅年輪水墨，由零開始摸索，經過以年計的試驗。曾經想像自己做出一系列作品參加art fair，但時間（和能力）永遠不足，又擔心反應不佳浪費心機，而且不斷聽到旁人質疑，感覺要quit game了。

最後依靠體內殘餘一點科學家鍥而不捨精神，發現「時間」是做水墨印的要訣，也真正回應了年輪的意義，有機會要申請諾貝爾獎。

有幸參與這場展覽，慶祝首次在art label貼上已sold小紅點！啊⋯⋯好感觸～好感謝那位不認識的知音人，thank you thank you thank you～

「只要信，啊真美真美，就能經過～」

💐Opening reception: Oct 10 (Thur), 5:30 pm to 8 pm
🗣️Artists talk moderated by Skai Fowler: Oct 12 (Sat), 4 pm

【About the exhibition】

@through.wilderness.residency is a collective show about landscape and what it means to be an artist at this point in our climate history. Through two artist residencies led by Lisa Cristinzo and Liz Toohey-Wiese, 18 artists examined the importance of landscape art in the context of the deforestation of 85% of the world’s forests, uncontrollable wildfires, and catastrophic climate hazards that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable.

Curated by:

Diane Blunt

Featuring:

Zoe Alexis Abrams @joyshapez
Judy Blue Anderson @judyblueanderson
Lee Angold @leeangold
Afifa Bari @_fiffs
Diane Blunt @dianeblunt1
Gizem Candan @gizemcandanart
Teresa Chan @7eresa_storyteller
Lisa Cristinzo @lisacristinzopainting
Levi DeCoste @levidecoste
Ana Diab
M Gnanashihamany @formerly_lammles_official
Shawn Grey @shawnse5
Alexandra Iorgu @clayisalive
Taline Kavoukian @talinekavoukianart
Hannah Materne @kidincolour
Michelle Purchase @michelle_purchase_studio
Annie Robinson @annieonthewater
Liz Toohey-Wiese @liz2e