Interview

interview: Pamela Leung

Pamela Leung is artist in residence at Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios. A local resident for 20 years, she is looking forward to her solo exhibition, Longing for Home, adjacent to the national touring exhibition Drawn by Stones through April and May.

The Meeting Place

 What is the inspiration behind your solo exhibition Longing for Home? Since 2019, I have felt so sad and heartbroken watching how Hong Kong is changing in political status, and how the young people and the dissidents are being arrested and treated. The 'National Security Law', the new law that the Hong Kong government brought out last year, has taken away civil liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the law of justice of Hong Kong. Hongkongers are losing faith in this city, they are forced to leave and some of them might not be able to go back until the political situation changes. Sadly, I’m afraid I have lost my hometown. Nowadays this place is so strange to me that it is not the same place I was born and raised. Another inspiration for me has been the last two years of COVID and how that meant people could not travel home and say goodbye to lost family members.  I noticed paper is a key art material in your artworks. What special meaning does the medium hold for you? Paper is the everyday material we come across the most: newspapers, books, money, toilet paper and so on. I choose paper as my medium, especially for drawing and painting, because I find it connected to my identity and my culture. For the most part, I use rice paper, but I don’t just work with ink. Instead, I try to explore different mediums such as sewing cotton on it, or mixing with pastel, ink and beeswax. This experiment shows how I bring the East and West cultures together.

 Can you share your making process of concept development to artwork realisation? How important is it for you to work in a site-specific manner and why? My work is about everyday life, humanity, relationship, conditions, and social justice from an immigrant's perspective. I often tell stories from my experience and emotions. I believe what has happened to me could be applied to others.

I always enjoy the challenge of exploring different mediums and processes to express my ideas, such as video, sound, performance, and installation. I also like to have immigrant communities and audiences interact with my works. Some of my works are inspired by a site-specific environment and I have also created works for the environment - indoor and outdoor. I find it helps me to be more focused on the narrative and the message I want to express, having the work connected to the space and helping me to connect with the audience.

 How has being an immigrant impacted your art practice? The most significant part of my identity as a person is being an artist that has come from migrating to Australia from Hong Kong in the 1970s. In acclimatising to my new homeland of Australia, so much of my heritage has been lost, diluted and forgotten; replaced by new and eye-opening ideas and transformations of the self. The use of the colour red and mixed media practice, combined with my migratory experience, allows me to connect with my audience through themes such as the repetitive patterns of everyday life, human relationship and connections, as well as displacement.

 As a local of the lower north shore, what inspired you here, and what are your views on the art scene north of the Harbour Bridge? I have been living and working on the lower north shore area for about 20 years - running a café for 10 years that helped me connect with the locals and enriched my understanding of Australian culture. This experience has had a good impact on my art. My first solo exhibition in 2015 at Articulate Project Space was ‘Not Another Bloody Coffee Shop’ that was about the cafe culture of the western society. As I went to National Art School in the City area, I was not aware of the art scene and creativity north of the Bridge until I was showing with the Willoughby Council and taking up the residency with Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios. I was amazed by how many great artists are here and how rich the art scene is.  What do you like about the Lane Cove area? Since being at Lane Cove and coming here every day, I have appreciated this area a lot. I love the green space around this area, the people are friendly, and I love those old arcades with those little shops. The eateries around here are great, with so many different cuisines.

A Ray of Light

Exile

 How has the residency at Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios benefitted your creative practice? I greatly appreciate and enjoy being at Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios; the lovely environment, it’s a very sunny studio space, and a

Agglomerate

very supportive manager/curator and administrative team have allowed me to focus on my works and creativity. I have learned how to make my own paper and have access to a printmaking facility to create new works. During this period, I have also had a solo exhibition at Incinerator Art Space Willoughby, a couple of group exhibitions with Gallery Lane Cove, a group show at Eden Garden, Art Space Concourse Chatswood, and May Space online. I am also very excited for my upcoming solo exhibition ‘Longing for Home’, that starts Wednesday, April 6 2022 at Gallery Lane Cove.