The current exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery, titled Waste Not, is by Chinese artist Song Dong, who has amassed a collection of artifacts from his mother over her lifetime. This collaborative effort between mother and son was a way for the two to grieve over the death of Song's father, but spoke to me on a number of levels.
Sure, there's the whole "hoarder" thing, which seems to be a common catchphrase these days that people apply to anyone who has a messy house. (Thanks a lot, A&E.) But maybe Song's mother was not a hoarder? She grew up in rural China, and from the stories my own mother tells me, everyone lived in poverty, so why wouldn't you want to hang on to every little item that you could? Maybe this exhibit is about the struggle of the poor in China? Or maybe it speaks to the notion of having more stuff = higher social status? It's all rather interesting.
The exhibit even incorporates parts of the house (walls, structure, beams) that the artifacts come from.
It was a pretty cool exhibit to see, but I was hoping it would be bigger than it already was. Perhaps when the Vancouver Art Gallery moves to its new location, they'll have more space to do bigger installations, etc. For now though, this is worth a visit!
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