In Reflection Across the Shore
Exhibition | Aug 5 – Nov 6
Artist Tour |
Thursday, Aug 11 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Museum of Vancouver
Artist Tour |
Thursday, Aug 11
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Museum of Vancouver
During the pandemic, artists Yu-Wen and Edward Juan both found guidance and solace from the natural environment surrounding them. This exhibition reflects the development of their art practices within the limitations of travel. In these circumstances, they rely on local ecological and cultural diversity to shape their works.
WORKSHOP: BARK CLOTH MAKING AND DYING STENCIL
Yu-Wen Wang
Sunday, August 14
9:30 am – 11:00 am
Learning History Lab, Museum of Vancouver
The research team of Professor Kuo-Fang Chung (鍾國芳) of National Taiwan University collected the DNA of paper mulberry trees from China, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, and confirmed that Pacific paper mulberry trees originate from southern Taiwan. However, the Pacific islands only have female plants, which require artificial cuttings to reproduce. Therefore, the DNA of paper mulberry has become further evidence that the Pacific islands were originally populated by a diaspora of Indigenous Austronesian people from Taiwan who allowed these plants to spread across the ocean. This also gives Taiwan a new position: it is no longer just a small island next to China—Taiwan is the motherland of the Austronesian people!
The Indigenous people of Taiwan (Amis, Paiwan, Rukai, Atayal) used to take the bark of mulberry trees and turn them into garments to wear at traditional festivals, weddings, and funerals. This tradition was interrupted for a long time, but today, the Amis people continue this traditional skill through presentations and workshops.
Although I am not Amis, I am deeply moved by this process of using the bark. In the past, our food, clothing, housing, and transportation must have been obtained from nature through hard labour, and humans and nature respected each other and shared a close coexistence. But modern life is farther and farther away from nature; people hurt each other for the sake of personal gain, not only encroaching on human freedom but also irreparably damaging nature. I hope that through this traditional process of producing bark cloth, the cultural and historical memories of people and nature can be shared in interconnected ways.
This workshop will first explain Kuo-Fang Chung’s research findings. With the prepared, already steamed and sun-dried paper mulberry bark, I will teach how to hammer the bark, design, sculpt, and dye the pattern with plant-based dyes made by Canadian artist Edward Fu-Chen Juan. At the end, everyone can bring home a bark print of their own creation.
This workshop is FREE.
Limited to 12 RSVP’ed participants.
Attendees need to prepare:
- hammer (with a notch on the hammer surface)
- a small watercolour pen
- a small plate for colours (palette)
- a cutting mat
- a fine marker
WORKSHOP: INK MAKING FROM PLANT
Edward Fu-Chen Juan
Saturday, August 20
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Learning History Lab, Museum of Vancouver
Join Edward Fu-Chen Juan to create ink from indigenous plants of the Lower Mainland, BC. This introductory workshop will instruct the participants on the fundamental steps of ink making from plant material. The ink will be utilized in creating watercolours or writing practice at the end of the workshop. Plant specimens will be provided by the hosting artist. Participants are encouraged to bring empty glass jars to take home the ink material.
This workshop is FREE.
Limited to 12 RSVP’ed participants.
Attendees need to prepare:
- an apron
- empty glass jars
Presented With:
Supported By:
About the Artists:
Yu-Wen Wang
Multimedia Artist
Yu-Wen Wang grew up in Taipei, Taiwan and graduated with an M.F.A. from National Taipei University of Art in 2003. In 2005, she relocated to Taitung, on Taiwan’s mountainous southeastern coast, a move that deeply affected her creative process and brought her work closer to nature.
Moving to Taitung, Yu-Wen is surrounded by the beauty of the mountains, nourished by the Pacific Ocean. The change of environment has deeply shaped her creative philosophy and thoughts. Her creations are closely linked to nature and self-realization. Her exploration of natural materials and her sensitivity to different material textures has not stopped since her participation in the Taitung Railway Art Village project. In the art village, Yu-Wen used sand from rivers in her paintings and since then, she has used various seeds, beeswax, and clay to create her works. In recent years, not only has Yu-Wen continued to highlight the essence of natural materials, but she has used their brittle and malleable characteristics to extend her creativity, allowing the graphic patterns on her easel to reveal an image of the relationships between life and space.
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Edward Fu-Chen Juan
Visual Artist
Edward Fu-Chen Juan is a visual artist based in Vancouver, BC, the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. He identifies as a queer Taiwanese Canadian with ethnic roots from the Hakka and the Plains First Nation People of Taiwan. His focus is to cultivate connection between traditional techniques and contemporary values, with the objective of advocating for more ecologically sustainable practices.
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