Re/Generation: Solo exhibition by Yu-Wen Wu
Opening Reception: October 5 from 5 - 7pm.
Rooted in the artist’s long standing observation of the natural world and its transformative power in storytelling, this body of work is both a tribute and a pivot from Yu-Wen Wu's recent celebrated exhibitions, including the Foster Prize at the ICA/Boston. Premiering in this show are rock sculptures, collage, and iterations of her beloved tea leaf installations.
The land, trees, water, sky, and generations are the conceptual elements that inform the artworks in Re/Generation. Their symbiotic relationships within the natural world is a throughline in Wu’s practice. Artifacts, a series of small-scale rock sculptures inspired by Chinese scholar’s rocks situate the viewer by establishing a foundation of geography, place, time, and memory. As a child in Taiwan, Wu collected rocks while on walks with her grandparents, who created a shelf for her to place the found rocks. These ordinary materials became treasures imbued with significance for the artist, who has continued to collect rocks that capture her imagination. In the exhibition, a shelf will hold a group of small rocks set on ceramic bases. Another display in the gallery will feature larger rock sculptures on fitted wood bases, each unit a portal for contemplation, evoking a microcosm of the universe.
Reconsiderations of materials and reinterpretations of past work are central to Wu’s approaches to this show. In one major example, the artist is debuting Recitations, a wall-based installation inspired by her beloved Intentions series made from Taiwanese tea, gold, and red thread. The largest version of Intentions was presented in a major floor to ceiling installation at the ICA/Boston, a section of which is now in the museum’s permanent collection. Recitations exemplifies Wu’s process of artistic iteration. In this new work, a strand of orbs in various dimensions made from Taiwanese tea is strung from three points on the wall. The lower portions of this strand finish as gentle spirals on a low pedestal. The orbs are in various hues of gold finish, while others are unadorned with gold and depicted in its true tea color.
In this exhibiton, Wu addresses “regeneration” as a multifaceted construct. The shifts in format and presentation demonstrate change and growth within the artistic practice, while acknowledging the foundational significance of materials and ideas. In Re/Generation, the natural world is Wu’s muse. Through materials collected and created, through drawings and observations, she shares its story.
