Tangible Histories, Katherine Chong

“Hello stranger, I invite you to partake in the making of this artwork.”History mirrors the identity and motivations of power: whose stories, really, are taught and told? A series of Tangible Histories are memories that stray from the dominant narrative. I began by scouting out locations that transcend time. I delved into the figures or events behind each space and constructed their abstracted representations with string, tape, and paper. These stories are the minuscule footnotes that no one ever bothers to read. I then painted over the reliefs, camouflaging them to the surfaces of each location. Each panel appears to emerge from the walls that have and will continue to uphold institutions of the past.The last step was drawing up a sign and securing some charcoal for passers-by to trace the textures of history.Dear you, who exists within a matrix of long-standing constructs as I, I ask you to feel and uncover legacies that rule the reality in which we breathe.