Xiao Han, Artist – Saskatoon
(photo: Rowen Dinsmore)
Xiao Han is an artist and curator originally from Wuhan, China. Her creative work focuses on photography, performance, and social practice. Her research explores immigrant identity, contemporary gender issues, and environmental media through a decolonial lens. She has produced projects investigating the Chinese one-child policy, Chinese Canadian restaurants and families, and the aesthetic of relationships. In 2017, Han installed Yee Clun, her first public art piece at Regina’s Art Park. Since then, she has devoted herself to researching the history of Saskatchewan’s Chinese restaurants. In 2021, she curated MIXING RICE, a community-based project that facilitated an in-situ exhibition in Asian restaurants. In 2022, she created the socially engaged project Dough Nation, a collaboration with a local community fridge and Chinese restaurant to share food as a gesture of compassion. Her work is included in the group exhibition MOTHRA: Eclipse, currently on view this month at The Assembly in Hamilton.
- Landfill
I recently found a landfill site near Saskatoon where discarded items combine to create an almost apocalyptic landscape. I cannot avert my gaze from these striking “architectural” formations that have emerged spontaneously from the waste products.
- Fungi
(photo: Barbara Reimer)
I’ve become fascinated with hiking through the wilderness and searching for mushrooms/fungi. Observing these organisms, I’ve come to appreciate their remarkable resilience and their crucial role in supporting various other species within the natural ecosystem.
- Community
Since 2021, I’ve fostered community engagement through the game of Mahjong. I enjoy inviting friends to partake in immersive cultural experiences, like indulging in a delightful dim sum brunch on Sunday mornings, followed by engaging rounds of Mahjong.
- Feng shui
One of my enduring passions has been collecting rocks and strategically placing them throughout my home to enhance Feng shui. I believe in the transformative power of energy in our lives, and I’m a strong advocate for showing consistent respect to the unseen supernatural spirits that influence our surroundings.
- My baby
As a mother, I am actively embracing the role of an artist-parent. My time spent with my daughter is incredibly cherished; she has become a wellspring of inspiration, imparting valuable insights into both the essence of art and the beauty of life itself.