Delta Center for the Arts
LH Horton Jr Gallery Presents
Jan-Ru Wan: Fiber Artist
Exhibition: October 1 - 29
Reception: October 1st, 5-7pm
Artist Talk: October 2nd, 8-9am - Tillie Lewis Theatre (free)
Artist Statement
One’s culture is imprinted in the mind, and this imprint influences how we perceive things. Through perception, this imprint evolves in every second and every place, refining itself to produce a new experience, and ultimately a new culture. Born in Taiwan, but educated in USA, I have seen many differences between the two places in terms of art, philosophy, politics, and society, but I have also seen that the basic human desires and needs do not drastically differ. My early education was deeply influenced by Taoism and Buddhism, which allow me to step back from the mundane world and to look at the universal human being. These commonalities and balance become the foundation to build my search through my works.
Working mainly as a fiber installation artist, my art is characterized by the intricate details of its texture and surface, and by the typically large-scale work to create a sense of wonder and awe. I want to communicate and connect with my audiences through my works without words, sounds, or virtual screen, but through their own eyes and body. Some dormant thoughts or emotion could be stirred without words.
Using fiber materials and textile works, I combine the multiplicity of small images, details, and forms that make up the whole to reveal the individual and the universal simultaneously. The detailing in the fabric is complex, repetitive and made of many interrelated parts. It engages the eye, indulges the mind, and encourages one to reflect on the essence of the work. Through this repetition of form and notion, the discrepancy between materials is wedded alchemically to produce a new harmony — the balance of the chaotic, the sublime and the beautiful. By using hand stitching and manipulating common objects, I compose a visual language that resonates with the audiences’ memory, and at the same time celebrates the labor-intensive nature of fiber art, embedding layers of metaphors, love and care. In this process, the intense labor transcends into a personal ritual.
The images, the textures, the objects and the colors surround the audience. They can feel a close association with the work. Creating artworks on a large scale lets the audience immerse themselves in the space, such as in my work “We are in the Same Boat”. As viewers stand afar, the work in the space creates a quiet still form. On the other hand, as audience come near the piece, the work floats ever so slightly in a quiet rhythm by its lightness, even in the viewers’ breath. One boat moves, and the rest of them move quietly - like we are all interconnected somewhere, in someway.
As an artist, I aim to use my work to resonate with my viewers - even if they are not in the visual art field. I had one of the most dawning experiences when I was installing my works in the Hall of Science at Duke’s Levine Science and Research Building: right before the opening, there was this gentleman, who cleaned the floor before the opening, and he expressed his appreciation to me. He told me how much he was moved by observing my work and that it had reminded him of his childhood. It was one of the most rewarding moments for me as an artist to reach out to people’s heart, and for that, I continue to create my art.
