There is no There There – Works by Un Sio San is an experiment of media expansion with poetry, which showcases the latest works of Macao poet and artist Un Sio San, after her art residency in the Arctic Circle (Svalbard). Using “space” as her visual motif, Un utilizes poetry as the major medium, complemented by videography, installations, photography and other means. This experiment of cross-media artistic creation initiates the discussions of non-places, public spheres, urban ruins and nature.
“Themed around ‘existence beyond non-existence’, the exhibition draws inspiration from American writer Gertrude Stein’s lament about memorable land that has changed beyond recognition. The various traces left in the natural world, be they man-made or otherwise, showcase the passage, remnant and overlap of multiple moments in time, demonstrating their ‘presence in a virtual space-time’ while testifying to the interaction between humans, animals and nature,” explains the poet.
“Inspired by the space theories of French scholars, such as Henri Lefebvre, Gilles Deleuze and Marc Augé, my artistic creations revolve around how space carries diverse meaning. When ‘space’ is transformed into a ‘place’ (such as a city’s scenic spot), or ‘non-places’ for brief convergence, such as airports, highways and convenience stores, a sense of belonging, connectivity and history will also be triggered or worn down.”
“The main epiphany I attained from my journey to the Arctic is that I learned to understand space from the perspective of time, as we live in a world where we are yet to find a way to observe it properly. Just like fossils, glaciers, and fjords, all the connections engraved in spaces are likewise engraved in the course of time, since the meaning of space can only be manifested over and through time,” notes Un Sio San.
Un Sio San obtained a dual Bachelor degree in Chinese literature and Arts at the Peking University and a dual Master degree in East Asian Studies and Asia Pacific Studies at the University of Toronto. She was an artist-in-residence with the Vermont Studio Center and the Arctic Circle Programme and has been fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration between poetry and other genres of art.
