Dao: Duan-Xiu (Passage: the Broken-Sleeve) 道·断袖

2018 - ongoing (1st - 2nd iteration) ｜ 2018至今
Hybrid media & site-specific installation: dimensions and mediums vary
多元媒介、装置艺术

Actual exhibition iterations do NOT have any statement or traditional wall text. Instead, a Glossary (available here) is included in each installation.
​The concept of Dao: Duan-Xiu came from a chapter in the Chinese history book, Han Shu (汉书) or the Book of Han. Although the term, “duan-xiu” (断袖; lit. the cut-sleeve) was only briefly mentioned in Han Shu, it had evolved into a 2000+ y/o euphemism for gayness after appearing in other Chinese literary texts.

​​In this project, the incense, smoke, and ashes act as three primary, tangible metaphors for these intangible themes:
  1. The relation of cause and effect occurred in the undercurrent of time
  2. The invisible links among distinctive cultural history and motifs

​Referring to how variables can affect the progression of history and time, the visual form of “Dao: Duan-Xiu” is not fixed. Particularly, while the core concepts of the project remain the same, the visual presentation of each iteration changes according to the exhibition space.⁠

​The title is pronounced as Dao: Dooan Sh'you
​
《道·断袖》的灵感源自《汉书·佞幸传》中董贤与汉哀帝的故事。“断袖”一词在《汉书》中仅是昙花一现，却在中国历史上演变成了对男同志（同性恋者）的主要代称之一，也见证了LGBT+ 群体在中国/中华文化、社会中错综复杂的地位。
​
​世人常常将历史变迁比作过眼云烟，《道·断袖》就以烟、线香、灰烬三种具象符号来探讨抽象的主题：如时间中的因果关系，以及文化符号的产生、传播、演变。

好比时代洪流之变幻莫测，不同时代的人群对同件事与物会有不一样的解读。《道·断袖》在保留主题、故事背景的前提下，并无固定的艺术表现形式，每个版本亦会根据展出环境做出变动与拓展。

2nd Iteration | 第二版 （多伦多TSV橱窗版), 2019
SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION for Trinity Square Video Vitrine
Site-specific installation with hybrid media: a silent HD video (6'30" on loop), peach-scented incense stick, incense ash, digital print on transparency, mylar, metal chains, hooks, and brass incense holder.
--
​The incense holder is a custom-made metalwork handcrafted by Charlize Nhung (website). It is painted by me with a baoxiang flower design based on the mural in Cave no. 45 of Mogao Caves, Dunhuang.
​
宝相花型香插由多伦多艺术家 Charlize Nhung 手工打造。纹样原型参照莫高窟第四十五窟的盛唐壁画，并由Eric手绘完成。

Curator: Karina Iskandarsjah

1st Iteration | 第一版, 2018

A shadowbox with phtographic print on paper, incense stick & ashes, black crafting paper