I Am Rooted, But I Flow: Shuang Jiang, Darcy Brenna, Lau Yee Vanessa Fong, Jiatong Yuan and Alexandria Wallace

“I feel a thousand capacities spring up in me. I am arch, gay, languid, melancholy by turns. I am rooted, but I flow.” — Virginia Woolf, The Waves

Maison Lune, in collaboration with MEY, is delighted to present I Am Rooted, But I Flow, an exhibition exploring the duality of human existence, where stability and transformation entangle. Running from September 12 through October 24, 2024, this exhibition invites viewers to survey the tension between grounded experiences and the fluidity of growth and change.

Participating artists — Shuang Jiang, Darcy Brenna, Lau Yee Vanessa Fong, Jiatong Yuan and Alexandria Wallace — offer unique perspectives on the themes featured in I Am Rooted, But I Flow. Their works intricately weave personal and collective narratives of transformation, trauma, and identity through a blend of academic depth and abstract innovation. In I Am Rooted, But I Flow, the artists explore the dynamic interplay between stability and transformation through their diverse practices.

Shuang Jiang delves into the concept of skin as both a barrier and a gateway, intertwining personal trauma with the natural world to reflect the balance between our rooted experiences and nature’s fluid processes. This exploration of interconnectedness is echoed in Darcy Brenna’s emotive brushwork, where fragmented strokes illustrate the tension between anchoring oneself in past trauma and navigating the fluidity of emotional healing. Lau Yee Vanessa Fong bridges traditional Eastern philosophies with contemporary aesthetics, capturing the delicate balance between historical roots and spiritual evolution. Jiatong Yuan redefines traditional aesthetics within a modern context, examining how identity remains grounded in personal values while adapting to evolving societal and political landscapes. Meanwhile, Alexandria Wallace further extends this theme by abstractly memorializing transient moments, portraying the relationship between the permanence of recorded experiences and the ever-shifting nature of light and movement.