How are you doing?

Apr 25 - Apr 30 2024

Group Show

How are you doing? is a group exhibition at THE BLANC that explores the fluid terrain of memory, liminality, and identity in flux. Curated by Yitan Eden Xu, Wenjie Demi Zhao, and Qiuru Feng, the exhibition brings together the work of eleven artists working across a range of mediums to examine the shifting nature of selfhood and the spaces we occupy—between past and present, belonging and becoming. Through installations, images, and gestures that evoke both personal and collective memory, the show invites viewers into a shared inquiry of transformation.

How are you doing? explores memory as a vibrant, dynamic, and reconstructive process that constantly shapes individual identities and perceptions of the world. The fluidity of memory – its ability to lose, rediscover, reinterpret, and reconstruct experiences – places people in a constant state of transitioning and becoming. Whether joyful, miserable, or traumatic, past emotions and experiences can unexpectedly resurface or quietly fade into oblivion, leaving people in a liminal state with ambiguity and sometimes disorientation. People might find themselves struggling to navigate these thresholds of consciousness to articulate the complexities of their emotional and existential state. Therefore, when facing the routine greeting “How are you doing?”, a reflexive “good” often slips out, yet beneath it usually lies a tumultuous sea of memories and emotions that are difficult to express.

Grappling with the complicated emotions rooted in the depth of memory, the artists in this exhibition address the question “How are you doing?” with distinct visual languages. Kyung Kim captures the subtle nuances of time, sound, and temperature encountered in Korean natural landscapes, weaving these intangible elements into a canvas of multisensory memory. Silvia Muleo’s Ego portraying a solitary hand reaching out towards the light represents the struggles, hope, and dreams in the life of every individual. Employing photography as their medium, Jingyao Huang and Xingze Li deconstruct and reconstruct memories within the fabric of time and space. Huang transforms the figurative photographs of personal experience into abstract geometric collages and sculptures, while Li chases fleeting light and shadows left in overlooked spaces, translating those ephemeral moments into geometric shapes imbued with emotional weight.

Several artists in the exhibition dive deep into their inner selves as a means to reshape memories. Confronting with her own lingering “stench” of the past, Hawu Judye Lim visualizes herself as an oval object overwhelmed and entangled by the burden of unmet expectations and suppressed feelings. She expressed her emotional turmoil depicted in imburani (긴 밤): “The night multiplies forever in the silent noise and the heart bubbles up with anxiety. The darkness flooding the space covers the trembling body. But this blanket is too heavy — it suffocates.” In a different approach to introspection, Ziyi Zhao creates organic ceramic sculptures that act as emotion containers and living memories, with each manipulation of the clay becoming part of her meditative journey. By imprinting the essence of skin onto mulberry paper and disposable facial wipes, Xinyi Liu transforms the materials into a “second skin” that evokes the tactile memories of wounds, flesh, scabs, and scars. Zhenyu Zhang, through orienting canvas with her hands, creates fluid interplays of ink and acrylics in spontaneous patterns that symbolize the intricate layers of personal identity shaped by both intentions and destiny.

The exhibition also features immersive realms for viewers to navigate the memoryscape. At the center of the exhibition, Meaghan Elyse constructs a labyrinth of fabrics, inviting viewers to explore the multifaceted layers of memory as they wander through the maze with evocative images. Sirawich Pukuka projects videos onto nostalgic found objects, creating an intimate, timeless space that resonates with deep history, meaning, and emotions. Meanwhile, Vidal Mouet presents a site-responsive painting installation that interacts with the windows in the exhibition space. By stretching canvases into diverse shapes inspired by everyday objects, Mouet revolutionizes the spatial dynamics of paintings, emphasizing an experience where colors envelop the viewers in a novel sensory encounter.

Through a diverse collection of works that delve deep into the themes of memory and emotions, the exhibition intends to offer a moment for reflection amidst the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life. It encourages the viewers to ponder their past and reconsider their current feelings, identities, and very existence – so, how are you doing, truly?