Luminary series, 2024. Mixed media.
Artist statements for Passage of Night; Luminary Rising exhibition at Art Space on The Concourse, Sydney.
On reflection, 2024. Mixed media; sound, 31min 13sec.
4000K/sweet-osmanthus, 2024. Mixed media; performance, 60min.
Dust, again, 2024. Mixed media; performance, 30min.
On reflection is based on the famous erhu composition, Erquan Yingyue (1930s), or 'Moon Reflected on Erquan Spring', by blind street musician, Abing. Often performed at Erquan Spring in his hometown of Wuxi, China, the song conveys the complexities and deeper meanings of life, drawn from Abing's reflections on his own descent into illness and poverty. Erquan Yingyue is viewed as Abing's lament for his present life and the repercussions created by his past self, while also imparting his persistence to continue living. Ruminating on themes of longing, introspection, and solitude that are symbolic to China's moon, On reflection acts to incarnate Abing's performances at Erquan Spring. In the installation of found objects, featuring a round silver mirror and a suspended erhu, the sound component expands on the original composition of Erquan Yingyue, in which the stretching and merging of deviated pitches recall the reverberating tones of human voices - raw, transcendent, and yearning.
4000K/sweet-osmanthus references the fruitless labour performed by the Chinese immortal woodcutter, Wu Gang, who was punished to chop down a self-healing osmanthus tree on the moon for an eternity. The artist sits above a floodlight that radiates blinding light and heat. For an hour, the artist uses a folding fan to cool down the light source. Cast shadows accentuate the performance lit by the floodlight in 4000K,
the colour temperature closest to moonlight.
Photo and video credit: Tom Isaacs @tom_isaacs_art
Dust, again: Taking inspiration from Li Bai’s poem The Old Dust and the moon rabbit who ‘pounds medicine in vain’, this performance examines ancient China’s fixation on immortality and the passing of time. For half an hour, the artist lies face down with a long white wig draped over them.
A mortar and pestle overflowing with dried osmanthus flowers is placed out of reach from the artist’s outstretched hands.
Photo credit: Mac Walker @_thegirlinthegallery
Video credit: Pamela Leung @instapamit
