Download Eleen Lin Artist`s Statement Marc Auge introduced the notion of `non

Eleen Lin Artist’s Statement
Marc Auge introduced the notion of ‘non-place’ in his essay Non-Places:
Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. A non-place is a space with
no identity, no history, and no specificity. Due to my nomadic and diversified
international background, (Lin was born in Taiwan, and raised in Thailand, while
attending an international school that adopts a mixture of American and British
curriculum. Lin studied my BA in London, and is currently pursuing my MFA in
USA.) Lin often finds herself inhabiting in non-places of generic cities.
Consequently, this subject of cultural hybridity has been Lin’s main concern, and
her paintings are documentation of my disorientated experience of drifting among
these different traditions.
Through the lens of a tourist, Lin utilizes stereotypes from different cultures as
symbolic representation of one’s identity; referencing theatre, folk art, and the
mundane environment. She frequently juxtaposes these depictions to create a
quirky atmosphere to indicate the awkward feel of dislocation and detachment.
However, it is not about simply illustrating a clear dichotomy between these
cultures, but rather to highlight the obscurity of cultural boundaries today.
Recently, Lin began a series of drawing that focus on the idea of travel. The
paintings often function as snapshots of a theatrical stage, and the drawings are
maps that follow through the space portrayed in the paintings. The drawings are
subconsciously composed during the process, where multiple narratives are
created through object-to-object relationships. This visual journey is an
arrangement of accumulative imageries collected through out Lin’s peripatetic
history.