LINNEA JIAWEN LONG
“EVERY SECOND YOU BREATHE”

LANEWAY CAFE, WENTWORTH BUILDING (2024)

Linnea Long, Every Second You Breathe, 2021, digital photography. Image courtesy of the artist.

EXHIBITION STATEMENT

For Long, Grandmother embodies the beautiful memories of childhood. In 2021, while in her hometown, Grandmother fainted. By the time Long arrived, the exhausted Grandmother could neither recognize anyone nor grasp her surroundings. The hometown, the anchor of her entire life, had become disorienting. 

At that moment, life, memory, and death intertwined, becoming blurred and elusive. The ventilator worked ceaselessly as Long watched Grandmother’s chest rise and fall with each breath. What was once a world filled with happiness was, in that moment, encased by the faint flicker of the heart monitor and the agonizing sound of breathing. 

The passage of time and the preciousness of life were felt with unprecedented clarity. Thus, Long decided to explore her hometown—a place both intimate and unfamiliar, a mysterious and beautiful land spoken of by Grandmother.

Linnea Long, Every Second You Breathe, 2021, digital photography. Image courtesy of the artist.

Linnea Long, Every Second You Breathe, 2021, digital photography. Image courtesy of the artist.