Lin’s practice spans installation, drawing, video and living materials such as mould, mushrooms, and bacteria, alongside processes like fermentation and staining. Her work engages with the politics of representation, focusing on themes of race, gender and sexuality through the lenses of colonialism and diaspora. In ‘Night Stone’, Lin draws parallels between Australia’s current manganese trade and the export of sea cucumbers by Indigenous Australians to Qing dynasty China during the 18th-century.
We are thrilled to present Candice Lin’s profound and timely exhibition, ‘Night Stone’ – centered around a monumental work of the same name. Her deep research into material histories – including extraction, trade and use – and her tactile and multidisciplinary practice create powerful and evocative artworks that raise questions on our cultural, social and environmental entanglements with elemental materials; in this case manganese. The themes of extraction, environmental impact, and trade cycles addressed in the exhibition also reflect contemporary concerns from our very geography at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. We hope this exhibition opens up important discussions about the global impact of industrial activities on both human and environmental systems.
Nora Razian, Art Jameel Deputy Director and Head of Exhibitions and Programmes
‘Night Stone’ unfolds as a central installation; a ceramic-adorned water wheel, examining the historical and speculative links between Australia and China, focusing on the manganese trade and its broader impact on both human and ecological systems. The circular movement of water symbolises the repetitive cycles of time and trade, while a series of accompanying ceramic sculptures reference the historical use of water to harness and measure time, most notably in the fantastical water clocks of medieval Islamic engineer Al Jazari. Meanwhile, a site-specific mural painting created specifically for this exhibition draws from the landscapes of Groote Eylandt, an island off Australia’s northern shores that supplies 10% of the world’s manganese.
The installation addresses the environmental consequences of manganese extraction, utilising black manganese pigment and gold manganese glaze. Lin incorporates techniques from Chinese irrigation systems and water wheels to highlight the destructive forces of industrial mining.
‘Night Stone’ was originally commissioned by the 2024 Biennale of Sydney and Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) in Melbourne.
Candice Lin: ‘Night Stone’ is on view at Jameel Arts Centre from September 26, 2024 through to January 12, 2025. The preview of the exhibition on Wednesday September 25 is accompanied by an artist talk, moderated by Art Jameel curators Lucas Morin and Nora Razian.
About Art Jameel
Art Jameel supports artists and creative communities. Founded and supported by the Jameel family philanthropies, the independent organisation is headquartered in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and works globally. Art Jameel’s programmes – across exhibitions, commissions, research, learning and community-building – are grounded in a dynamic understanding of the arts as fundamental to life and accessible to all. Art Jameel’s two institutions—Hayy Jameel, a dedicated complex for the arts and creativity in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Jameel Arts Centre, an innovative institution for contemporary art and ideas in Dubai, UAE—are complemented by digital initiatives, collaborations with major institutional partners, and a network of practitioners worldwide.
