Helen Hirsch (Director) in dialog with June Yap (SAM Singapore), Nandini Thilak (Linden-Museum Stuttgart) and Yee I-Lann in the exhibition "Yee I-Lann. Mansau-Ansau". Tour in English.
About the exhibition:
Walking and walking on and on, with no clear destination in mind - this is roughly how MANSAU-ANSAU can be translated from the language of the indigenous Kadazan and Dusun tribes in Yee I-Lann's homeland of Sabah, Malaysia. In one of her most recent works, "A map of Mansau-Ansau" (2024), the multidisciplinary artist (*1971) illustrates this euphonious expression for walking into the unknown, which can be frightening on the one hand, but can also open up new possibilities. In all her works - which also include photographs, video works and sculptures - Yee I-Lann questions the complex geopolitical history of Southeast Asia. Using traditional crafts and archival images mediated through a contemporary lens, she delves deeper into the narratives of her homeland, addressing the influences of colonialism and the persistence of indigenous heritage and communities in our time. Yee I-Lann works closely with local weavers in her home country. For her, working in a collective of women is a means of making oppression visible in art and craft. Accordingly, all of her collaborators are mentioned by name in all of the picture credits.
The Kunstmuseum Thun is showing Yee I-Lann's first major exhibition in Europe in cooperation with the Singapore ART Museum (SAM).
About the exhibition:
Walking and walking on and on, with no clear destination in mind - this is roughly how MANSAU-ANSAU can be translated from the language of the indigenous Kadazan and Dusun tribes in Yee I-Lann's homeland of Sabah, Malaysia. In one of her most recent works, "A map of Mansau-Ansau" (2024), the multidisciplinary artist (*1971) illustrates this euphonious expression for walking into the unknown, which can be frightening on the one hand, but can also open up new possibilities. In all her works - which also include photographs, video works and sculptures - Yee I-Lann questions the complex geopolitical history of Southeast Asia. Using traditional crafts and archival images mediated through a contemporary lens, she delves deeper into the narratives of her homeland, addressing the influences of colonialism and the persistence of indigenous heritage and communities in our time. Yee I-Lann works closely with local weavers in her home country. For her, working in a collective of women is a means of making oppression visible in art and craft. Accordingly, all of her collaborators are mentioned by name in all of the picture credits.
The Kunstmuseum Thun is showing Yee I-Lann's first major exhibition in Europe in cooperation with the Singapore ART Museum (SAM).
This text was translated by an AI.
