Distant water will not quench a nearby fire
Artist project by Petrina Ng
With contributions by Amy Lam, Serena Lee, Morris Lum, Amy Wong, and Florence Yee
A personal essay by Amy Lam accompanies the exhibition
Click here to read the exhibition publication
“How do we navigate feelings of confusion, anxiety, and grief when confronting political violence in a distant motherland? Distant water will not quench a nearby fire is a new project that looks at diasporic experiences of Hong Kong’s colonial histories and ongoing political unrest.
In 1997, Hong Kong’s sovereignty was transferred from the United Kingdom back to the People’s Republic of China after over 150 years of colonial rule. Taking cue from a popular souvenir t-shirt commemorating the event, I have invited five diasporic artists to create bootlegs of the original design, re-appropriating dominant narratives of sovereignty and cultural identity.” –Petrina Ng
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Petrina Ng is the inaugural artist to participate in the Textile Museum of Canada’s Creative in Residence program, which provided the space, resources, and context to develop this new work. This program is generously supported by a Seed Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Ng is an artist and cultural organizer. Her practice looks at diasporic loss and legacy, and the ways colonial histories continue to impact us in subtle or invisible ways. She was recently an artist in residence at the Scarborough Museum, invited by Aisle 4 curatorial collective. Ng has studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and the University of Toronto. She has previously worked with and for many cultural institutions and continues to advocate for equity, representation, and accessibility within the sector.
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