This exhibition explores the encounter of “Dialect” through the unique use of medium and interpretation in the works of young artists who met in London but hail from various places. It also addresses an alternative return to “marginal regions” in the context of globalized localization, seeking ways to reconstitute society through metaphor and allegory, and finding a homeland and personal narrative that transforms with the flow of people.

Exhibition Dates: 

Opening Event: 30th August, 5:00 - 9:00 PM
Screening Event: 15th September, 4:00 - 8:00 PM
Farewell Public Event: 29th September, 5:00 - 9:00 PM

University Women’s Club, 2 Audley Square, London, W1K1DB

Oriented by Dialect: 
Those Diffracted Scenes among Us

The programme will continue to explore artworks centred on cross-cultural and multimedia themes by expanding three concepts: Dialect, Divination, and Discipline. It will discuss ethnographic themes in a multi-discursive manner, expanding the diffraction expression of narrative and personal history in contemporary art. The programme will focus on diverse participation in public activities, fostering organic extension beyond the exhibition and encouraging interdisciplinary and cross-community collaboration.

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30
Aug
2024
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29
Sept
2024

 

 

 

Artists:

 

Beichen Zhang

 

Dien Berziga

 

Harley Roberts

 

Ho-Sa Wang

 

Khushboo

 

Koori Ding

 

Laiba Raja

 

Mizuki Nishiyama

 

Neo Jiapu Gao

 

Wen-Hsuan Chang

 

Wenhui Hao

 

Wei Xiong

Oriented by Dialect: Those Diffracted Scenes among Us

方言之方:他们白话喃喃 

Landscapes, weather, food, community, generational memory and a plethora of other factors affect the curling of our tongues. How do objects carry our dialect in foreign lands? Can we invoke our dialect into the “things of others'' through our actions?

 

This exhibition explores the encounter of dialect through the works of young global artists who met in London but work with different mother tongues. It also addresses an alternative return to “marginal regions” in the context of globalised localisation, seeking ways to reconstitute society through metaphor and allegory, and finding a homeland and personal narrative that transforms with the flow of people.

 

Shaped by geography and social habits, dialects serve as folk vernacular to a region’s political system and its ethnic communities, often referring to a polyphonic narrative between dwellers and outsiders. Our dialects are also influenced by “things” (non-human actors and factors). 

 

The dialects of each artist’s work in this exhibition form a murmuring ballad, weaving into a counterforce that flicks away the vast discourse, cultural symbols and political contexts that envelop their social identity. In the Georgian-style space of 2 Audley Square, these different encounters between works, personal histories, and cultural contexts seek new understanding between places in personal and collective approaches.

 

 

Curated by Alice Sun & Regina Liu

        “Compelled by the unseen-scenes between scenes, where memory and experience keep dissolving. Approaching reality, diagonally. The unnerving, uncanny, and fascinating nature of masks for example - an entrance to a concealed opening, the horror of the infinite horror of what’s beneath.”

 

- Harley Roberts

Sensory Journeys:

Collective Mapping Through Spices and Incense

 

Host by Curators & Artist 

on Sunday 29th, September 

5:00 - 6:30 PM

University Women’s Club, 2 Audley Square, London, W1K1DB

Whispers of the Past, 2023
Hand-felted merino wool and hand-embroidered stitching,

6.7 x 3.2 ft

 

The Land of the Green Sky, 2023
Plant dyes, fuller’s earth and archival glue on Khaadi Paper placed on dyed synthetic wool, 

8.3 x 11.7 inches each

In our globalised world, this programme creates a “meaningful contact zone” where interactions foster sharing and understanding across different cultural backgrounds. Participants bring 1-3 ingredients (spices, herbs, or fragrant food items) that embody daily life, memories or cultural practices, serving as tangible links to their histories and identities.

 

Incense Making: A hands-on session metaphorically exploring how cultural elements transform in new contexts.

 

Throughout participants share stories evoked by the spices, food and incense, touching on themes of migration, identity, and belonging. The workshop culminates in a collaborative storytelling session, weaving individual experiences into a rich, multisensory narrative. By engaging the senses and food anthropology, this programme transcends mere exposure to difference. It challenges participants to seek connections through the universal languages of taste and scent. The resulting collective story, sensory map, and incense form a unique record of shared experiences, demonstrating how culinary and aromatic traditions can be powerful tools for cross-cultural dialogue.



Preview








Wei's project focuses on artificially defined invasive species, animals initially taken out of their original habitats and into unfamiliar environments due to human activities, desires and consumption. They were then abandoned again because of the threat they posed to the local ecosystem.
 

 

 

 

Surface and texture play a defining role in Dien's painting. By employing latex, impasto, and delicate layers of paint, he attempts to create visually captivating and tactile experiences on the canvas.


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In one of her exhibited works “The whisper of Past”, the tactile piece is inspired by the trade journey of the wool that is collected in different parts of the world and is cleaned and processed mostly in Eastern Asia. When the wool was sent back afterwards, it would have traces of being mixed up with wools from other regions in the cleaning process. The chain stitches on the piece are broken archival maps of the colonial trade routes connecting Europe to present Asia and South Asia.

Preview
 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exhibition will be held at 2 Audley Square, the permanent home of the University Women's Club. Founded by the pioneers of education for women, the University Women’s Club is a welcoming and secure environment for professional, business, student and graduate women situated in the heart of Mayfair. For the past 130 years, the club has offered itself to members as a retreat from the stresses of London, as a resource with our library and intellectual events and as a network for busy women to meet and engage with like-minded individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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