gdm Taipei is thrilled to launch the first Siōng Tshinn program featuring Taiwanese artist Ya-chu Kang, presenting her 2021 work "Bobbin Necklace".
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Ya-chu Kang
Bobbin Necklace No. 1 (2021)
Various plastic spools, paper tubes, wood bobbins, rope etc, mix-media
Dimensions variable
This sculptural necklace is composed of plastic yarn spools, paper tubes, and wooden bobbins — materials historically linked to the textile industry. Each component reflects a different stage of textile production, varying in style, scale, and technique. Transformed into beads, these tools of labor are reimagined as ornaments, mapping the evolution of textile making across time and place. Collected from diverse sources, each bobbin and spool carries the imprint of a different era and purpose, forming a living archive of generational change and industrial history. The work examines the interplay between tradition and progress, industry and memory, while also reflecting on the history of the textile industry and the colonial legacy in Taiwan.
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About the artist
Ya-chu Kang (b.1980, Taipei) is a multidisciplinary artist, her work blurs the line between reality and imagination. Her practice explores the connections between traditional craftsmanship and physical labor, life conditions and migration, economic exchange and social behavior. Kang often draws inspiration from textile traditions and global post-colonial narratives, examining how natural and social environments are perceived through each project. With references to anthropology and ecology, her work intertwines questions of subconscious experience, existential crises, and the pursuit of sustainable futures. Her creations frequently address themes of boundaries, transitions, and processes—ranging from hand-woven textiles to unconventional sculptures embedded with industrial histories and environmental shifts—challenging viewers to reconsider notions of resilience and transformation.
Kang is the recipient of the 2014 Lung Yingtai Cultural Foundation Fellowship (Taiwan), the 2008 Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, the 2007 Freeman Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center (USA), and has participated in the 2024-25 AIR program at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France. She has been actively involved in community art initiatives and educational collaborations. Her multimedia practice spans textiles, painting, sculptural installations, and photo-video documentary, with publications including Textile Map, Volumes 1, 2, and 3. She is currently engaged in cultural research across various countries.