Yee I-Lann. Mansau-Ansau
Walking and walking, without a clear destination in mind – this is roughly how MANSAU-ANSAU can be translated from the language of the indigenous Kadazan and Dusun tribes in Yee I-Lann’s homeland of Sabah, Malaysia. In one of her most recent works, ‘A map of Mansau-Ansau’ (2024), the multidisciplinary artist (*1971) visualises this euphonious expression for a journey into the unknown, which can be frightening but can also open up new possibilities. In all her works – which also include photographs, video works and sculptures – Yee I-Lann scrutinises the complex geopolitical history of Southeast Asia. Using traditional crafts and archival images mediated through a contemporary lens, she delves deeper into the narratives of her homeland, addressing the influences of colonialism and the persistence of indigenous heritage and communities in our time. Yee I-Lann works closely with local weavers in her home country. For her, working in a collective of women is a means of making oppression visible in art and craft. Accordingly, all of her collaborators are mentioned by name in all of the picture credits.
The Kunstmuseum Thun is showing Yee I-Lann’s first major exhibition in Europe in cooperation with the Singapore ART Museum (SAM).
Parallel to the exhibition, the project space enter is hosting the project rest.stoff.kollektiv, a participatory textile installation. The space is designed with collected and donated fabric remnants that originate from everyday contexts and bear individual, material and emotional traces. Visitors are invited to crochet the fabric strips provided with their hands. At the same time, the space serves as a place of tranquillity and invites visitors to linger, read or observe with its seating and reclining areas.