Between Lines
October 20, 2022 — November 20, 2022
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 20, 6pm-8pm
131 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10002
Gallery Hours: Friday-Sunday 1pm-6pm
and by appointment
SFA Projects is proud to present Between Lines, a one-person exhibition of new work by visual artist Lulu Meng, opening on October 20, 2022 and on view through November 20, 2022.
This exhibition is curated by Sophia Chizuco
Lulu Meng is a Taiwanese artist who created a new interactive installation for this exhibition. In their installation “Correlation”, there are the suspended circular objects connected with a wire. The first time I saw it, it reminded me of a physics class at middle school. The balance and interaction were very curious to me. And I was impressed by the invisible power between the objects and gravity, too.
This is an interactive installation, the audience can touch, pull and move them up and down. In the dark, the light from the pieces look like floating lanterns and their inorganic white world turns soft and warm. The circular objects have mirrors.
I took the moment to see the reflections, It connects me to my deep inner site and space around myself. It also reminded me of the book, “Der Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in the Mirror)” A Labyrinth byMichael Ende, a German writer. He stated that he intended the title to be taken as a metaphor for the relationship between reader and the book. I believe Lulu’s installation is taking a part of the relationship between audience and their piece as well.
At the artist talk, Lulu will explain the meaning of different surfaces of the objects: digital drawing and disassembling Chinese letters by hand carving, fabric, nails etc. Their wire sculpture, drawings and prints will be shown as well.
– Sophia Chizuco, curator
Bio
Born and raised in Taiwan, having been living in different cities and countries, LuLu Meng questions what it is to be an individual living in our time now and what connects people.
Meng is interested philosophy of science and the implication of everyday objects. Meng’s installation and sculptural objects are their experiments to understand the complex experiences of being a person and their relations with others.
Lulu’s Statement of the work
Correlation contains serveral circular objects that are hung and interconnected in one pulley system. The audience can interact with the objects by moving them up and down. When one object or multiple objects are moved, their movement affects the position of other untouched objects in the system. It requires negotiation to arrange each object to the ideal viewing position to experience the details of the objects.
The circular objects are in a similar form and structure. Yet, their sizes and texture of the surface vary. Each one has its inner lights circulating in a distinct pattern.
Having been living in the US for over a decade as an immigrant and a queer person, the experiences of living in different cultures compel me to question:
What is it to be a person? How do I perceive myself and how do others perceive me? What is the real difference between you and me?
Three core concepts of my art practice form from pondering those questions.
“We are similar.”
Each person is a unique individual. Yet, deep down, we share many similar qualities. To truly appreciate the difference is to embrace the similarity. Then, perhaps there will be a chance to have a better world.
“Changes provide possibility and new perspectives.”
“We are all connected.”
Things we do affect others in good or bad ways no matter whether we sense it or not.
Correlation was developed during my two-month residency at Sculpture Space in April and May 2022. It is an ongoing project to explore interdependence, solidarity, otherness, and equality.
Sophia Chizuco
Curator
Sophia Chizuco is a curator, a multidisciplinary artist, and an art educator based in Brooklyn, New York, born in Japan. She is also a big fan of art and an art lover.
In 2015, she was a co-organizer for an immigrant artists’ show “Archimedes’ Bathtub”. She enjoyed creating the gallery with different art pieces. It was magic for her, transforming the gallery space into a different world. Since 2016, She started to curate shows. She likes to work with living local artists because she can create the show together in person.
As a curator, she said she was a bridge. She connects an artist and gallery, and art and audience.