ROMAING ~~~~
This exhibition, titled ‘Roaming ～～～～,’ marks the inaugural large-scale solo exhibition in Taiwan by the artist Yu-Mei Huang. It showcases a new series of works stemming from a collaborative project between the artist and the TextielMuseum in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the exhibition features recent works by the artist, collectively exploring how language can communicate sensory experiences within diverse cultural contexts.
The artist, currently residing in the United Kingdom, has often moved between various linguistic and cultural environments, encountering numerous differences in interpretation and communication gaps within languages. This experience has led her to reflect on how these disparities influence individual behaviours and cognitive states. While the exhibition title , ‘Roaming,’ conveys the idea of wandering and strolling, the interpretations may evoke varied emotional responses based on individuals' experiences with language. Additionally, the use of the symbol ‘～～～～’ in the title is common among Mandarin speakers in daily conversation, expressing softness, emotion, or extending dialogue. However, in the artist's experience residing in the UK and using English regularly, this linguistic context lacks an equivalent symbol to interpret or translate the similar connotations of ‘～～～～’ in Mandarin. For the artist, transitioning between languages, cultures, and environments sharpens her sensory perception, fostering a fresh understanding of existing phenomena.
The transition in environments is also reflected in the artist's alteration of her creative process. Through collaboration with the TextielMuseum, the artist created new weaving techniques together with the technicians Yani Chuang and Damien Semerdijian from the museum. The intensive weaving experiments and process allowed her to immerse herself in her work, integrating emotions and thoughts into her practice. On the other hand, in the process of creating textiles, collaboration with technicians, and factories is frequently essential.
Therefore, communication across varied languages and environments emerges as an indispensable part of the creative process. For the artist, this transition signifies not only a change in her creative methodology but also a reevaluation of the behavioural and cognitive states prompted by language as a communication medium. This enables her to continually explore the multifaceted aspects of individuality and self-identity through her artistic practice.