LAST WEEK
As smoke unfurling
C. Grace Chang
August 31-October 6
As smoke unfurling
We at Krognoshuset are very happy to present artist C. Grace Chang's exhibition As smoke unfurling! The exhibition consists of newly produced works – video, installation, textile and text-based sound works – all of which have been adapted to Krognoshuset's unique architecture. With its three distinct floors, each level of the house, in interaction with Chang's work, creates its own atmosphere.
Throughout the exhibition, the artist explores the interplay between grief and time, loss and resurrection. Unique experiences and histories are distorted, lost and garbled during migration and generational changes, but at the same time there is room for development and hybridity. The works examine the constant cycles of decay and reconstruction of lives and ways of thinking that are lost or buried.
From the shores of the Hudson River to the Sound of Öresund, the video works show water as a witness to all this. Through his works, the artist also delves into the importance of water in matters of generational loss, migration and the symbolic gestures of rituals. In the artist's own words: "Water is always the beginning of everything, water as a clear boundary, water as a connecting link and water as a witness."
The works explore the materialization of grief that creates the basis for a new life. In the absence of direct knowledge, new generations, after the migration, often operate without awareness of their predecessors or even of the possibility of them. Whether it's ritual or the long struggle for civil rights, people in the diaspora are working from an intergenerational loss to create something different.
About the artist
C. Grace Chang (b. 1989, USA) is an artist, curator and filmmaker based in Malmö. Born and raised in New Jersey, she is a Fourth Culture Kid who often explores liminality- the state of in-betweenness that occurs between different phases of life, in her works. She combines decolonial theory with moving image (VR, film), sound and installation to explore the construction of visual oases and coded power structures, with refusal as a point of departure.
While her works rely heavily on theory, they are often rooted in sadness, joy, and individual and collective memories. With strong colors and imaginative elements in immersive installations – installations that create experiences that envelop the viewer – she explores future, diaspora, care and worlds beyond the colonial gaze.
Konstnärshuset in Stockholm commissioned her large immersive work Long time no see (jia gú boh kuàⁿ dio lì) (2023) in 2023. During the autumn, she will lead a preliminary study on public art in the digital sphere with support from Fröpengar (Kulturbryggan). She will also participate in the Evia Residency in Greece, a project of the international network PROSPER.
She was previously selected for the Swedish Film Institute's and Film i Skåne's "Talent to Watch" program (2021–2022). She has also presented her artistic research and practice as a curator at the Supermarket Art Fair in Stockholm (2021) and the Contemporary Art Days (2021). She produced and presented the Art Detox Podcast with support from the Inter Arts Center and the Culture Council. During her time as curator at Scania Art Association (2020–2022), she founded Third Space Residency for new queer and trans POC (people of color) artists in Scania. Grace has lectured at Östra Grevie folk high school, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Copenhagen. She has also worked as a curator, consultant and board member for several art organizations in Sweden, such as Art Detox, Nordisk Panorama Film Festival, Konstnärscentrum Syd and the State Council for the Arts.
Grace has two master's degrees from Lund University, one in Literature, Culture & Media (2016) and one in Visual Culture (2018), which included an artistic research project and an exhibition at the university.
For more info www.cgracechang.com.
The curator of the exhibition is Krognoshuset's curator, Swedish-Korean Jin Hwa Borstam.
Photo C. Grace Chang
For availability see website www.krognoshuset.se
Krognoshuset is run with the support of Lund Municipality and the Culture Council
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Exhibition
C. Grace Chang
August 31-October 6
Opening August 31 Time 13-16
Culture Night in Lund September 21 Time 13-22
As smoke unfurling
Krognoshuset is delighted to present artist C. Grace Chang's exhibition As smoke unfurling! The exhibition consists of new works—video, installation, textile, and text-based soundwork—that have all been made in response to Krognoshuset's unique architecture. Each floor of the building contains a different work, creating different atmospheres throughout the house.
Throughout the exhibition, the artist explores the interplay between grief and time, loss and resurgence. Specific experiences and histories can become distorted or decayed during migration and between generations, but these shifts can also create room for new growth and hybridities. The works delve into the constant cycles of decay and rebuilding of lives, histories, and ways of seeing that become lost or buried.
From the shores of the Hudson River to the Öresund, the video works feature water as a witness to all of it. Through the works, the artist also dives into water's significance to intergenerational loss, migration, and the symbolic gestures of rituals. In the artist's own words: “[T]he water is always the beginning. The water as border. The water as connector. The water as witness.”
The works examine the possibility of grief as a foundation for new life in both tangible and intangible ways. In the absence of direct knowledge, new generations (post-migration) often work without awareness of their predecessors (or even of the possibility of them). Whether it's rituals or the long fight for civil rights, diasporic people work from a place of intergenerational loss to create something else.
Artist Bio
C. Grace Chang (b. 1989, USA) is an artist, curator, and filmmaker based in Malmö. Born and raised in New Jersey, she is a Fourth Culture Kid and often explores liminality in her work. She combines decolonial theory with moving image (VR, film), sound, and installation to examine the construction of visual safe havens, coded power structures, and refusal as a starting point.
While her works rely heavily on theory, they are rooted in grief, joy, and both collective and individual memory. Often using bright colors and fantastical elements in immersive installations, she explores futurity, diaspora, care, and worlds beyond the colonial gaze.
Most recently, Konstnärshuset (Stockholm) commissioned her large immersive artwork Long time no see (jia gú boh kuàⁿ dio lì) (2023). This fall, she will lead a pre-study on public art in the digital sphere, made possible by the Fröpengar grant from Kulturbryggan. She will also participate in the Evia Residency created by the multinational network PROSPER.
Previously, she was selected for the Swedish Film Institute and Film i Skåne's Talent to Watch program (2021-2022). She has presented her artistic research and curatorial practice at Supermarket Art Fair in Stockholm (2021), the Contemporary Art Days national conference (2021), and Copenhagen University (2020). She produced and hosted the Art Detox Podcast, recorded with support from Inter Arts Center and the Swedish Arts Council. While curator at Skåne Art Association (2020–2022), she founded the Third Space Residency for emerging queer and trans artists of color in the Skåne region. Grace has taught her own course at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and has worked as a consultant and board member for various arts organizations in Sweden, including Konst Detox, Nordisk Panorama Film Festival, Konstnärscentrum Syd, and the Public Art Agency of Sweden .
She received MAs in Literature, Culture & Media (2016) and Visual Culture (2018), which included an artistic research project and exhibition, at Lund University.
For more information, go to www.cgracechang.com.
This exhibition was curated by Krognoshuset's curator, Jin Hwa Borstam.
Photo C. Grace Chang
www.krognoshuset.se About Accessibility
Krognoshuset are supported by Lunds Municipality and Swedish Arts Council