2021 VERGE PROJECTS ARTISTIC PROGRAM
NEAVE TAYLOR, ELLA KENNEDY (CUR), KHUSHBOO DHIMAN
”DiGS”
ARTBOX FISHER LIBRARY
Neave Taylor, Untitled, photographic print on paper, 2020. Image courtesy of the artist.
ARTIST STATEMENT
This installation is an ode to domesticity and the camaraderie of students in online classes. In 2020, student artists Neave Taylor, Ella Kennedy and Khushboo Dhiman took the unit ‘Photography and the Lighting Studio’, taught by Isobel Markus-Dunworth at Sydney College of the Arts as part of their University of Sydney degrees. Students would zoom in from the comfort of their homes and participate in classwork by setting up makeshift “home studios” and photographing objects from around their houses. DiGS showcases photographic still life series’ from Neave, Ella and Khushboo. Various “stuff” from the curator’s home compliment the framed prints and a certain home-aesthetic, inspired by the prints, is designated to each third of the Art Box.
Shiya Lu, Butterfly Dream, photograph, 300 x 450 mm, 2021.
ARTIST STATEMENT
The art exhibition YI (pronounced as ‘e’ in English), presented by the University of Sydney China Development Society (CDS), will be held from 31 October to 31 December 2021. This exhibition is themed by "Change", "Simpleness" and "Amiability", and explores the abundant implications and manifold dimensionality of Chinese culture in the context of contemporary art and modern society. The exhibition presents artworks from 13 emerging student artists: Amy Chen, Anjia Zhou, Anny Chen, Bowen Zhang, Homer (Peng) Wang, Irini (Yanyu) Chen, Jiaqi Liu, Jiayi Li, Junhao Xiang, Peihan Li, Qintian Liu, Rainne (Yuyang) Zeng and Shiya Lu. Through focusing on the Covid-19 experience, the background of Chinese culture, and the community of international students, the exhibition aims to give voice to student artists with Chinese background and to arouse a life experience that transcends cultural boundaries.
The exhibition title is twofold. In the literal sense, the theme of the exhibition YI is taken from the book “Yi Jing” (or “I Ching”). As one of the ancient classics of the Chinese nation and the origins of Chinese traditional culture, Yi Jing expounds the law of change that governs everything – objects, people, situations, and so on – in the world. From understanding “Simpleness” as the basis of all things, to how individuals reconcile themselves when facing “Changes” in life, then learning how to get along with others through “Amiability”, Yi Jing promotes respect and courtesy in the whole society. From a broader perspective, YI epitomises a shared artistic experience across cultures. Through revealing the multitudinous interactions and resonance with Chinese and Western art and culture, the exhibition demonstrates the universal power and appeal of art that reaches straight to the soul.
As visitors explore the exhibition, they will discover works of art, admire the diverse range of materials presented, and encounter stories and moods embodied in the materials. A majority of exhibiting artists are incorporating their own experience of studying or living overseas into artistic practice to probe into their own cultural identity when being exposed to both Chinese and Western culture. Some are using their own body as medium concerning the topics of family relationship, societal issues and traditional oriental philosophy. Others are using paint, coloured pencil, digital print, photography, as well as objects from daily life and nature to pay their own tribute to the Chinese culture. The once seemingly opposite and different Chinese and Western culture are reconciled as a whole to be appreciated, just as the law of unity of opposites demonstrated in Yi Ching suggests.
YI is only a snapshot of the emotional and living situations experienced by the young generation. The exhibition serves as a starting point, rather than a destination, for an artistic journey into the lives of youngsters around us. We hope the exhibition can provide visitors with a tangible warm presence of amiability and solicitude among people at this very moment and there is always a simplest way out of all complexity and toughness.