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| Muse, hand-cut paper, 4 layers, diptych, 50 x 19 inches (each panel 25 x 19 inches), 2013 |
Monday, November 11, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
The Consulate General of Poland in Toronto
The Consulate General of Poland in Toronto tweeted about my Gallery 44 Installation. WOW! That's pretty cool.
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Monday, September 30, 2013
Artist Statement for "Dawn/Dilapidation"
Next up: I am now focusing on my Dawn/Dilapidation project which has been generously supported by the Ontario Arts Council.
Artist Statement
Joyce Lau
Dawn/Dilapidation
Dawn/Dilapidation is a series of photo-based cut-outs
that depict varying visions of creation and destruction. Within this theme, this project further
delves into comparisons in the realm of the natural world versus that which
have been manmade.
The beauty
and complexity of the earth often identify creation, but simultaneously natural
disasters also continue to ravage the world in ways which humankind is
incapable of harnessing. Moreover, I want to explore the concept of creation in
modern society, with notions associated to the phrase "playing god."
For example, mules are considered a success story for the cross-breeding of
animals, but these mammals continue to be unnatural due to their sterility.
In addition,
on the flipside of creation, humankind has also generated many forms of
destructive devices and demonstrated a plethora of cataclysmic actions. Modern
technology has offered prestige and convenience, but it has resultantly often
led to a hierarchy, and in extreme circumstances, the negative consequences
have led human nature towards detonation.
The line
between creation and destruction can also be deceiving. Certain ideas related
to each polar opposite must be scrutinized, as creation can lead to destruction
and vice versa. Moreover, I would like to identify examples of modern
creation leading to destruction, such as with industrialized farming. Quantity
is the emphasis in such farming habits, where the quality and life expectancy
of the animals become neglected. The accidental development of Africanized
honey bees (a.k.a. killer bees) is another exemplification of the adverse
results of manmade creation.
Dawn/Dilapidation is a
project designed to challenge our ideas of beginnings and endings. From an image of a dense green forest
to the stark image of an empty room in Auschwitz, this series aims to compare
and contrast knowledge exposed through science and learned through events in
history to evoke contemplation on the philosophies of existence.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Kanada: Images from the day of install
Here are a couple of pics from installation day last week. I still need to document the final installation properly. Pics to come shortly!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Artist Statement for "Kanada" Installation
Kanada
Joyce Lau
"A
wealthy transport. Oh, this underwear, these shoes... and those eats. All I can
say is : Kanada!"
--overheard in the Clothing
Depot Kommando, Auschwitz-Birkenau, between 1942-1945[i]
In
2011, I travelled to Poland and visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. Preserved as a
memorial and museum, a portion of the site consists of rooms containing the
plunder of articles which had once belonged to prisoners. At the time of the
Holocaust, several dozen barracks which contained these items became known as
"Kanada," associating the goods with the riches and abundance of the
country. Entering into these rooms of the museum, you are confronted with
heaping collections of the sorted plunder, from shoes to suitcases, to personal
belongings such as shaving brushes and Nivea cream, to prosthetic limbs, and
even to hair shaved from the heads of prisoners. It is a sight that is
difficult to take in.
Initially,
my vision for this work was to utilize the glass display element of the vitrine
to insinuate the actual presentation of the objects in Auschwitz; however, as I
scrutinized the concept, I wanted to change the experience. In a room full of
plundered shoes, your eyes are bewildered and scan back and forth through the
clutter trying to grasp the enormity of what you are seeing. I want to help
eliminate that confusion, and also instigate a form of focus and contemplation
of individualisation. Instead of seeing a pile of shoes, I want viewers to
focus on a small section of the pile, and consider who may have worn that one
shoe that is in direct sight. I want to evoke an identity.
The
magnifying glass works to highlight and distinguish an element in the
photographs. It is also meant to bring attention to the fact that prisoners
were constantly watched by the SS guards. The voyeurism involved in staring
reminds us of their loss of freedom.
With
the addition of the vinyl blocking out the vitrines, a circular glow will
emanate from the magnifying glass of each of the three display cases to create
an ethereal mood. Moreover, the black vinyl creates a strong contrast between
light and dark. The association of light with the subject matter makes
allusions to hope and of a greater beyond.
The
intimate qualities that I aspire to achieve with this installation is my
reaction to the fact that the plunder was known as "Kanada." Although
it was meant as a nod to the glorious bounty of the country, as a Canadian
viewing such a horrible result of tyranny, I feel that it generates a vile
association. By attempting to personalize the items, and using illumination as
a crucial component to the presentation, I bring forth compassion, humility,
and promise.
[i]
Hermann Langbein, People in Auschwitz,
trans. Harry Zohn (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press: Published
in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2004), 140.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
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