2009
Medium: Tassel thread and fabric hardener
Dimension: 6’X 35” X 40”
For Guan-yin, the Goddess of Compassion, I applied the red threads used to make tassels for Chinese lanterns to a statue I had cast of her, and then, even though she was touching the floor, I suspended her by a wire to show how, in my adopted culture, I am suspended between what I used to be and what I am becoming.
“Through both the innovative material experimentation and its aesthetic outcome, Yan has produced a provocative sculpture installation. She applied fabric hardener to the red synthetic thread normally used for creating the tassels on Chinese lanterns and fans to form the body of the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. The thread is applied in a messy tangle to represent struggle. This is a constructive struggle where, again, the symbolism of bridge comes into play. Guanyin hangs suspended between the earth and sky, between cultures, between genders, in a mutable form that floats with trails of thread falling to the floor in cascades that suggest sartorial extensions of her/his body but also of remnants or traces of her/himself that are being shed or offered. Placed in the role of bridge between different spheres, Guanyin represents non-duality and a source of unconditional acceptance.”- Millie Chen