Hong Kong artist Chen Liyun’s large-scale installation work “Weaving Dialogue,” woven from paper strips, will be exhibited at the M+ Focus Gallery starting on February 17, 2024. “Weaving Dialogue” explores themes such as women’s labor, personal and collective memory, material transformation, and time.
The work was first exhibited in 2013, when the audience could bring a cherished book and share its significance. After reading the book, Chen Liyun tore the pages into strips, turning them into “threads” woven into the artwork. Books contain not only the author’s knowledge, experience, and worldview, but also reflect the reader’s state of mind. Chen Liyun weaves her dialogue with the audience into the artwork, creating a space for shared moments, emotions, and thoughts, leading to a new intimate connection that transcends language, politics, culture, and gender boundaries.
Since 2013, “Weaving Dialogues” has continued to develop, with over 300 participants from around the world, including Amsterdam, Bangkok, Berlin, Krasnoyarsk, Kuala Lumpur, Lhasa, London, Melbourne, Moscow, Paris, Philadelphia, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Toronto. The work eventually spanned sixteen meters and was completed at an exhibition in Los Angeles in 2017. This is the first time the work has been exhibited in Hong Kong after completion. Originally studying fashion design, Chan Lai-wan’s creations focus on the relationship between humans, the environment, materials, and memories. Starting in 2003, she used shredded books, maps, and dictionaries as materials to create her signature woven works. This creative process gradually evolved into a series of open, participatory, and performative art practices.
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