Written by

Where's the frame

Maribelle Bierens

July 26, 2022 4:19 PM

GMT

Now on view FACT in Liverpool, MY GARDEN, MY SANCTUARY, a collection of new, immersive artworks by Sian Fan and Yaloo - two artists using creative technology to tell stories of ancestry and self-discovery in a hyperconnected world.

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Curated by FACT Curator-in-Residence Carrie Chan, in this exhibition, both artists think about how our identities glitch and flow as the influences of media, culture and technology collide with our ancestry. Sian, coming from a mixed background (Chinese and British) her work meditates on her own fragmented sense of identity, exploring what it means to exist in between worlds. 

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'MY GARDEN, MY SANCTUARY' Courtesy of the artists.

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Yaloo, who is South Korean, presents a mystical underwater garden of seaweed: an immersive journey through ancient beliefs and family history. The installation explores how Korean rituals and traditions have been branded and repackaged as products for consumption. Yaloo reclaims these symbols and weaves them together with the experiences of three generations of her maternal family to forge her own path. Above the water’s surface, Sian’s world takes shape as a lotus flower-filled sanctuary. The interactive artwork challenges romanticised ideas of East-Asian culture and standards of femininity found in anime and fantasy games. Presented together, the exhibition creates a space for discovery and dialogue, looking at our roots and history to be able to bloom into new fluid identities. 

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'This exhibition gives me the opportunity to bring two acclaimed digital media artists to Liverpool – a city with a strong history of Asian immigrants and diaspora.'
-Carrie Chan

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MY GARDEN, MY SANCTUARY is on view until 9 Oct 2022 at FACT Liverpool. For more information, visit their website.