Xingyi Lin Chen, a student in the Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design, was selected in the latest edition of Konekta Ideiak ICC + IA, a programme that promotes audiovisual proposals exploring new technologies.
The exhibition was developed with the support of the Youth Department of Bilbao City Council (@bilbaogazte)), the team at La Perrera, and the mentorship of creative consultant Miren Lauzirika (@miren_lauzirika). In addition, she had the opportunity to learn from professionals such as Naiara Lázaro (@nalaga), Exhibition Designer at the Guggenheim Museum.
With memory as the central concept, the exhibition is titled “Ni Chi Le Ma?/Have You Eaten Yet?”, a greeting that has evolved within Chinese culture and remains alive in the diaspora. At times, it goes far beyond asking whether someone has eaten; it becomes an expression of care and affection.
This installation is an emotional archive of the Chinese diaspora in the Basque Country, built through the intimate language of food, care, and affection.
At the centre of the installation, a 3D-printed plate functions both as a projection surface and as a metaphor. Different narratives of the diaspora coexist on it, while waves moving across the surface react in an audio-responsive way, transforming emotion into image and movement. The soundscape is an original composition created in collaboration with producer and singer Mina Qiu.
The heart and core of the work are the voices. A documentary video gathers testimonies from members of the Chinese diaspora in the Basque Country, each with their own experiences and perspectives. These voices give meaning to and sustain the rest of the installation.
From those who shared their voices emerges the third element: personal objects. These items, ranging from everyday objects to sentimental decorative pieces, have been modelled in 3D. Once digitised, they acquire a new dimension between the tangible and the immaterial, between what is preserved and what is transformed. https://readymag.website/u4237560526/6268448/.
Guided visits with the artist: April 15 and 17, at 19:00.
Register here: https://forms.gle/M5EJvCiq8ETxtHC68
Exhibition open until April 18.