A Toronto artist will visit Richmond Art Gallery this fall with two new pieces of artwork that explore the relations between humans, nature and culture.
Xiaojing Yan’s first work on display is called “Montain of Pines”, which is an installation of hanging walls of silk organza pierced with thousands of pine needles, creating a panorama of distant mountains rising in the mist.
Yan said the work is inspired by Shan Shui painting, a traditional Chinese ink painting genre that depicts scenery or natural landscapes, and that draws on Daoist philosophies.
“I use pine needles, a material from nature that people don’t normally notice, to give viewers a new life and meaning,” Yan told the Richmond News.
Within this landscape are eight life-sized busts of the artist as a young girl, each sprouting curious lingzhi mushrooms. Yan calls the work "Lingzhi Girls."
To make this work, Yan creatively put sawdust and lingzhi mushroom seeds into moulds of a girl’s bust and took them out after they were shaped, letting the mushrooms continue to grow out from the “head.”
“The sawdust provides all the nutrients lingzhi mushrooms need and they continue to grow. After I took them out of the moulds, I wasn’t able to control how they grow,” said Yan.
“In modern society, people always tend to control nature, but we are not supposed to do that. From this piece, I hope to explore the relations between humans and nature.”
Originally from China, Yan said she chose lingzhi mushrooms as a material because they have a special meaning in Chinese culture.
“They have a meaning associated with good wishes and a long life,” said Yan.
“In some ancient myths, people would travel far and take risks to pick lingzhi mushrooms in the mountains, sometimes to save the lives of their loved ones, so lingzhi reminds me of questions about life and death,” said Yan.
She hopes by combining both of the works, she can create a wonderland in the mountains for the audience, with materials that we can see in our normal lives.
“As an artist if I can let the audience stop for a second to have a thought, in this case, about nature, humans and nature, then I will feel very happy.”
Yan’s exhibition will be on display at the Richmond Art Gallery from Sept. 13 to Nov. 10. She will attend the “Artist Talk and Tour” on Sept. 13 from 6 to 7 p.m.
