REACHING FROM HONG KONG TO NEW YORK TO HUG THE WORLD

Since the beginning of the pandemic, my apartment in Vienna has served as both my living space and artist studio. At times, during complete lockdown, I was barely able to leave this space except for walks. City strolls had become an essential part of connecting with my surrounding during these days. Yet, I remember the year 2020 as a time that allowed me to open up and connect to the world in new ways. In addition to the strolls, I found a new artist community and friendship online. This exhibition is a collaboration with my artist collective I Found U. Curator Heather Brammeier and I both share collaboration and community fostering as essential aspects in our practices. Just as we embrace this shared approach in this cooperation, this curated installation is going to carry on this spirit. By reaching with one hand towards Hong Kong based Janet Lee and the other one towards New York City based James Jaxxa, I am performing a hug. A simple physical gesture, we haven’t been able to experience in our digital artist friendships yet. A hug from Vienna, spanning from Hong Kong to New York, is what curator Heather Brammeier and I want to send over to Terrain Biennial. (Nina Gospodin)

Artwork by James Jaxxa