poetry writing, pencil on wall

scattered like dreams, piece by piece, cardboard glued on wall

hang on there, wrapping paper on wooden stool

unbearable lightness, egg-cartons, resistant band, packaging paper, black side table

a view by the window, found branches, glass jar

no man's shelter, found branches, packaging box

imagine i am an image, copper wire

scent of paolo santo, photo by Cynthia Cheung

New Tenants

2021

Installation


I became the new tenant of this room, De Fuik 58, on 23 August 2021, my second day in the Netherlands. Everything here is new to me. On the first night, I spent a lot of time trying to set up the drying rack in the right way for my washed clothes. I never used one before, so I was a bit frustrated after failing several times. Yes, life is not easy, but in the end, we’ll all learn to adjust to it. 


The encounter with the drying rack made me start to contemplate my relationship with this room and my surroundings, as my practice closely relates to my everyday experience. So I began to explore and collect objects—mainly branches, packaging boxes, egg cartons, and wrapping paper—like a curious kid. Every time I worked a little with them, together we grew and lived organically. 


In my eyes, these objects are also new tenants in this room. This made me ask myself—how do I share my room with them? Do they become my roommates, or are they just decorations?