Altar-in-progress
2023
Open studio at Sàn Art Studio Season 2
Sàn Art Vietnam, Saigon, Vietnam
In San Art Residency, I learnt how to grow a tree. A tree embedded with my spirits grows not against, but in harmony with a wide white space. How does the tree become sacred? The tree had its spirit first, then people worshipped it, or did it happen in the other way?
Recycling leftover materials from my previous works, I reverse the process of making a tree, starting with embroidering twigs and branches, and then forming its trunk by connecting boughs altogether. The process required extreme meticulosity, and as the sculpture evolved into a living presence, a symbiosis evolved, I inhabited the space, and in turn, my creation inhabited me.
Untitled 1 (the memorial)
Fabric, corset bond
500 x 500 x 400 cm
In the labyrinthine city of Saigon, where concrete trumps soil, a haunting sight emerged – the Hollong baby seeds strewn along every street. Their fate, sealed by circumstance, spurred a silent cry for a burial ground – a sanctuary where their dreams of towering alongside their forebears might endure.
Untitled 2 (cemetery)
Hollong babies, concrete
various dimensions
Amidst the cacophony of ideas, one concept materialized – "Please do not touch" talismans, guardians of trees yearning for solitude, seeking respite from the embraces of humanity. Yet the colour still reflects the nuance and vivid lives of Sai Gon.
Untitled 3 (do not touch)
Printed textiles
various dimensions