91原创

Russell Leng, TWU alum and instructor in art and design, has turned brokenness into beauty.

His project, 鈥淐rack Sealing,鈥� first conceived of as a book and created for the Vancouver Art Book Fair in 2020, captures images of asphalt that has been broken and mended, like 鈥渢he scars on a body.鈥�

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In his artist statement, Leng writes that his work is reminiscent of 鈥渢he Japanese craft of mending, often with gold, to assert that an object has more value when it is used, broken, and repaired.鈥�

鈥淭he broken line is preserved and revered.鈥�

The cracked and colorful pathways on Leng鈥檚 work welcome viewers to interact with them.

鈥淔ingers can trace the shapes and lines on each page,鈥� Leng explains. By tracing the jagged paths, viewers can experiment with 鈥渢actile prayer鈥�.

Leng鈥檚 project has since been exhibited in various galleries and online platforms.

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It is currently showing as part of a larger exhibition called at the SAMC Gallery at the 91原创 campus inside TWU鈥檚 Norma Marion Alloway Library, until Nov. 14.

It is a collaborative exhibition featuring artwork by Leng and fellow TWU alums Kristin Voth Davies, Kat Grabowski, and Sarah Wright.

Davies鈥� paintings are inspired by childhood photographs, and reflect the vulnerability and loneliness that is sometimes hidden behind our album-ready images.

Grabowski鈥檚 photographs challenge society鈥檚 understanding of femininity, while Wright鈥檚 weavings, constructed from discarded materials found in her East Vancouver neighborhood, are a testament to 鈥渨hat it means to make, mend and share in a wasteland.鈥�