THE BLUE THAT VANISHED IN THE GREY
Leyun Wang, Sweden
Water is a symbol for the ongoing climate change. It is through this element, as well as the artist’s own experiences, that she poses questions to herself, and to us all, regarding the sensitive relation between nature and human beings. Just as we partake of the work, our movement creating a small gush of air which can make the work react, similarly human activity influences nature. The artist’s memories and experiences from two different times and two different places accentuate the fact that if we do not take care of nature, the water, once so blue, will disappear into the grey smog. Works exhibited at Almgren Silk Weaving Mill & Museum.
I have long wanted to work with themes that I have felt to be the most difficult to express visually: human loneliness, despair, melancholy, spleen … man’s inner life has always been a central part of my art, as well as in my everyday life. My working materials are luminescent and metal fibers, which glows in the dark in a very special way. The installation is part of my projects in recent years. The same theme occurs in various forms and media. Here I exhibit 64 cages and 64 individuals. I have weaved the cages with mixed materials, after which I have bound them together. They contain 64 sculptured figurines made of different materials, such as ceramics, plaster, air dried clay and synthetic stone. Here, I have worked with various media such as light, sound and movement as a whole. The light changes constantly and mobiles hover and move freely. Any given time, they are in a new location. The same image can never be captured twice. Everything flows.
“From Lausanne to Beijing” 8th International Fiber Art Biennale in China was organized by Nantong city, China National Art Gallery and the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. The opening ceremony was held on 30 September 2014 at 1895 Creative Cultural Industry Park in Nantong. It was the largest Biennale to date with 270 participating artists from 47 countries, including USA, UK, Poland, Canada, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, Netherlands, Australia, Georgia, South Korea, Japan and China. I participated in the Bienniale with the support of The Swedish Arts Grants Committee. My work “Dialogue” received Honorable Mention.
“In the borderland” In the borderland between different cultures, where cultural cross-fertilization occurs, I want to use this fiberart installation to explore the expressive power of a different materials. A material which in the conventional sense can be said to have found its final form and function in its original form. By dyeing, sewing and creating new forms, the material has transcended its natural and predetermined limitations and reached another, greater expression than it originally seemed to be predestined for.
Read more on http://www.wangleyun.se Text by Leyun Wang. Images by Leyun Wang and Per Englund
NTA gallery 