Chan Hau Chun: Silent Sojourns
“From what I’ve seen over the years, there are always moving moments that propel us forward from the monotony that makes up ninety percent of our lives.”
—Chan Hau Chun
“Silent Sojourns” is the second project commissioned under WMA’s biennial theme “Home,” and Hong Kong documentary filmmaker Chan Hau Chun’s first solo Hong Kong exhibition. The exhibition, centred around the partitioned rooms that Chan has documented on film for over five years, employs a circular layout and narrow passageways to evoke visitors’ heightened awareness of their relationship with the surroundings. Creating spaces that alternate between intimacy and distantness, as well as imageries that are both baring and concealing, Chan invites visitors to wander through the exhibition in search of the myriad homes that she has found herself in, or the deep corners of her mind that remain elusive to her. Weaving together images, sounds, texts, and objects that stem from the building in question as well as its tenants’ stories, Chan’s works represent only a fraction of the dispositions and realities of her five years there. While these depictions may not incite change, in the harsh light of reality, we hope Chan's works provide a comforting refuge for the intricacies embedded in our daily lives.