borrowed sceneries | Gloria Wong

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“borrowed sceneries (2022) is a series of collages that investigate the histories of Chinese migration and labour within the area colonially known as “British Columbia”. In each collage, my hands recreate gestures found in both family photographs and archival photographs of Chinese migrant labourers. By bringing these two sources of images together, I aim to make visible the diasporic histories and the lineages of migration that have shaped this specific place — dating from early migrant workers in the late 1800s to the waves of immigration from Hong Kong in the aftermath of the 1997 Handover. Within the images, the gestures are cut out and constructed into shapes that mimic rock formations in classical Chinese gardens, the meticulous process of assembling these collages also becoming an act of labour in itself. These gardens were also created as a reprieve, contrasting the gestures of work and labour depicted. The title of the work refers to distant landscapes or elements that were found outside of the physical walls of a garden but integrated into its design.” — Gloria Wong

borrowed sceneries will be installed as a set of lightboxes in Or Gallery’s storefront, in correspondence with Light Up! Chinatown Festival (September 10th & 11th).

Curated by Katrina Goetjen.