she is monsoons
11:11 GROUP x JACQUELINE LAM
Year
October 2024
In the way it shapes Vietnamese culture and influences the rhythms of life, the monsoons have enormous significance - it isn’t just a vital source of water for agriculture and livelihoods but also serves as a symbol that signifies renewal, life, and rebirth. As the monsoons are deeply intertwined into the fabric of Vietnamese traditions, art, and music, highlighting its profound relationship between people and the natural world.
Rooted in and inspired by the cultural fabric of Vietnam, this exhibition invites the audience through a sensory exploration using the dynamic interplay of elements, from the scents of the rain to the moving images and sounds influenced by the monsoons.
she is monsoons
“She is monsoons (everything I touch turns into me)” brings a multi-sensory exhibition to audiences through the artworks of Jacqueline Lam.
She is a multidisciplinary artist primarily working in the visual and sensory mediums. Having lived in Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand, Jacqueline’s works are informed by her diverse international background. To Jacqueline, art is a place that allows for her truth to be spoken, a space to honour her emotions and an expression of her freedom.
Additionally, this exhibition serves as a reflection of a journey to understanding and embracing her emotions, recognising that feelings such as sadness is not an admission of weakness, but rather a vital part of her humanity.
It is through Jacqueline’s acceptance of these emotions that were once seen as “inferior”, she is able to truly embrace herself. “She is monsoons (everything I touch turns into me)” is a love-letter to her younger self, an exploration of the young girl that she was and the woman that she is becoming.
“She is monsoons (everything I touch turns into me)” unfolds as a narrative of symbiosis, illuminating the intricate relationship between art, nature, and the endless cycles of transformations. “She is monsoons (everything I touch turns into me)” aims to create a multi-sensory journey that fosters and deepens the connection between oneself and the natural world, prompting moments of contemplation, reflection and emotional resonance.
“What Are You? Madness.”— a space embodying the blazing heat and emotional turbulence that build before the monsoon, inviting visitors to sit with discomfort and explore the tension between anger, suppressed sadness and intensity.
“not set in stone but written in cracks”— inspired by the Truong Son mountain range. Through its use of earthy materials, sound and scents reminiscent of the forest before rain, this installation encourages the visitors to embrace their vulnerability as part of their own transformation.
Spanning over two expansive floors, the exhibition takes us through 3 journeys engaging sight, sound, and scent, mirroring the emotional phases of intensity, release, and renewal.
“Everything Eventually Connects" invites visitors to reflect and embody their whole selves—light and shadow, triumphs and challenges. Time and responsibility are left behind and forgotten in this final space, where the scent, created with “embodiment” in mind, aim to evoke feelings of acceptance and comfort.
OPENING NIGHT
“She is monsoons (everything I touch turns into me)” by Jacqueline Lam opened a new gateway for audience to explore captivating artwork, innovative installations, and thought-provoking displays that brought fresh perspectives and sparked lively conversations. Visitors' connections to the exhibition and to one another created an electrifying atmosphere that made an inspiring opening night.
