From Home

‘From Home’ is a solo exhibition by the artist Xinan Yang, opening in conjunction with the Moon Festival, the lunar celebration honouring the full moon and the union of family.

This exhibition showcases two distinct series of Yang’s work, each providing a profound reflection on family, identity, and the evolving concept of home.

Xinan Yang is renowned for her ability to create spaces that bridge the realms of imagination and reality through brushes. After her last solo show, 'Missing Place Missing Face,' she embarked on a new exploration using family photos to delve into the concept of belonging. This series poignantly explores geographical displacement and its impact on family dynamics and self-identity. By repainting family photos without depicting faces, Yang investigates the collective memory and consciousness of how memory shapes social bodies and worlds.

Yang’s work is imbued with rich personal and cultural symbolism, often featuring motifs such as dogs, moons, snakes, and birds. After leaving her hometown, her dog became an emotional anchor for her parents, symbolising the deep familial bonds and emotional connections that persist despite physical distance. Birds in her work represent both freedom and the allure of the world beyond home, mirroring the experience of many young people who leave home for study or work and return only occasionally, much like migratory birds. These motifs highlight the tension between the desire for exploration and the enduring connection to home.

The exhibition, curated by Yu Ying Chan, will include wall hangings that intricately blend personal narratives with broader cultural themes, offering visitors a profound reflection on family, identity, and the ever-evolving concept of home.

To see more work by Xinan Yang, please visit her Instagram page.