ASPACE
The Nature of Home: Taking Root in a Place
Mingyue Chen, Katia Dermott, Gary Duehr, Tim Kastelijns, Jiaqi Li, Yingying Li, Ruofei Lyu, Rose Malenfant, Yuxuan Qi, Jules, Carol Suiya Yuan, Xueyi Huang, Zicheng Zhang, Wenli Zhong
Curator: Han Jiatong
June 8 - June 21, 2024
13 Grattan St, #402, Brooklyn, NY 11206
A Space is excited to present its latest exhibition "The Nature of Home: Taking Root in a Place," with the aim of stimulating discussion on the dynamic relationship between individuals and their environments. "Home" is redefined not as a static noun but as an active verb: the process of cultivating connections with places and people that shape our identities. Understanding the enduring relationship between self and place transforms "home" into "where you are at every moment." This profoundly Zen state arises from the mind's integration with the continuous flow of the universe, transcending the limitations of time and space.
Two artists have demonstrated their thinking and interpretation of the concept of "home" through installation art. Wenli Zhong’s dual-channel video, "Call Liminal Space," invites people on a dual journey through the everyday world and a liminal space, a realm veiled from the senses yet intimately connected to their own. Tim Kastelijns’s work "MKII" reconnects with a severed self that exists online through the mediation with its inhabited digital home.
With a keen interest in investigating how memories can be recalled through the internet, Carol Suiya Yuan explores the multifaceted nature of selfhood and the vulnerable act of sharing one’s inner world with another in "Here’s the Key to My House" and its sister work "I Keep Dreaming About Alien Abductions."
Mingyue Chen (Luna)’s "Witch Rituals" is presented with a sense of ritual and poetic photography. Fueled by the vibrant storytelling traditions of her Hokkien upbringing, Ruofei Lyu uses photography to demonstrate how homes reflect our identities, who we are, and who we want to be. Taking photos from city buses, in In Transit: GULF, Gary Duehr captures people in their daily travels, and suggests stories about where they’re going and what is on their minds. In Fallen Branches Weigh More Than the Trees series, Katia Dermott explores her mother and her sister as reflections of each other—mirroring one another’s losses and sharing in the healing to come.
Rose Malenfant’s "Wishing Rotting Away," with its domestic associations of the container and eerie preserved skin-like substance, draws our attention to our own tension and quiet wishes regarding our home and body. Jules's "Journey of Eve" reflects the emotional turmoil of navigating self-discovery amidst displacement, exploring the complexities between cultural identity, displacement, and the search for home. "Ballon D’Or" also delves into these themes, examining the interplay of cultural identity, displacement, and the quest for belonging.
Furthermore, six digital videos created by artists from around the world are showcased. Jiaqi Li's work is centered on the concepts of 'public intervention' and 'urban rooms,' as she establishes public art spaces for marginalized communities, aiming to amplify their voices and bring attention to their long-overlooked perspectives through her tangible film "Lihong & Jiaqi," which reexamines her relationship with her mother. YingYing Li’s "I Embody the Trees" calls for the attention and protection of ecosystem and women's rights and interests by exploring the connection between nature and female identity. Yuxuan Qi’s’ Diffused Surface constructs a staged spectacle of composite memory by integrating physical world photos into virtual space and juxtaposing elements of nature with man-made structures. Meanwhile, Xueyi Huang and Zicheng Zhang utilize AI-generated technology to revisit cultural and traditional local identities.
This exhibition is a profound meditation on the resilience of the human spirit and our capacity to find and create home amidst uncertainty and upheaval. Each artist deeply explores the fluid and evolving concept of "home," shaped by personal experiences, cultural identity, and the natural world. Their works invite us to reflect on our own notions of home and belonging, offering a profound and moving exploration of what it means to truly take root in a place. By examining these themes, "The Nature of Home: Taking Root in a Place" aims to foster empathy and understanding, encouraging viewers to contemplate their own definitions of home and consider the broader social and environmental contexts that influence this fundamental aspect of human life. The notion of "home" is more fluid and contested than ever before.