“During the past four years of study in Hobart, each day is unusual, as if it is a concentrated half-life experience full of emotion.
As an international student, I am particularly sensitive to sense of distance. A change from far and near melts in every corner around me. In last four years, I have lived in three places: Sandy Bay, then Hobart City, and now Moonah. With each move my the environment evolves: from unfamiliar to familiar, to attachment, and then I prepare to leave. And then slowly I let go of my memories. The new environments effect me emotionally: from fear, anxiety, temptation, comfort, normality, a reluctance to leave. I love Australia, especially Hobart. Choosing to come here to study and live is the fate of the arrangement.
In China, I worked as an art editor and reporter for 11 years. I had a lot of stories. But now they stay in memory, the good, the painful, the inspiring, all become sweet. In Hobart, I have experienced a lot of things which I would not have experienced in China. And I’ve become a person with stories again, at least I think so. Now, I want to use my brush to tell my stories, like pages of a diary, and express my feelings; an emotional portrayal of distance from far to near, approaching from a distance.
Life is the accumulation of many small things. Hobart’s scenery has captivated me, and I hope my paintings will move you.”
– Ai Shanshan
EXHIBITION DATES:
Monday 1 – Wednesday 31 October 2018
9:00am – 5:00pm Weekdays
Weekend Opening Hours TBC
OFFICIAL OPENING:
Monday 1 October 2018 @ 6:30pm
