Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann holds first major European exhibition in Thun

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In August, the Kunstmuseum Thun will host the first major European exhibition of Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann. The exhibition will explore the influences of colonialism and the persistence of indigenous heritage.

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Helen Hirsch, director of the Kunstmuseum Thun and curator of the exhibition, became aware of the Malaysian artist in 2022 in the Unlimited section of the Art Basel art fair. “I was impressed by her independent, multidisciplinary, and multi-layered style of expression and her respectful attitude toward the local communities with which she works,” according to a statement from the Kunstmuseum.

The artist herself has a small connection to Switzerland through a great-uncle: he was a mountaineer in Zermatt at the turn of the century and is buried in the local cemetery. Lee I-Yann emphasizes that she finds similar forms and similar power in Thun as in her homeland.

Mansau Ansau, the title of the exhibition, means something like “keep going without a clear goal in mind.” The expression comes from the language of the indigenous tribes in the artist’s homeland. The idea of this journey into the unknown can be frightening, but it is also an opportunity to discover something new, according to the artist.

Questioning history

She is interested in looking at topics such as art and colonialism from new perspectives. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a mat woven from bamboo, which serves as a basis for gathering and sitting together. It symbolizes a space for intimacy and, in the artist’s view, offers a platform for the local, democratic, feminist, and social equality.

In a broader context, the artist’s work questions the complex geopolitical history of Southeast Asia. Her close collaboration with a collective of weavers from her homeland is a means for the artist to make oppression visible in art and craftsmanship.

In addition to textiles, the exhibition also features photographs, video works, and sculptures that deal with themes such as collective reorganization, reorientation, and imagination as strategies for the personal and collective future.

The exhibition at the Thun Art Museum opens on August 23 and runs until the end of November.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ds

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