Sonnet 18
Kristina Chan’s practice utilises narrative and site specificity to evoke a felt history. Her work explores the boundaries between individual and collective memory, and how these narratives affect our interpretation of space.
Her work has been widely exhibited at Louvre Museum (during the 5th Annual Exposure Awards), Royal Academy of Fine Art Antwerp, Mall Galleries London, Beers London, Royal Academy London, Litvak Contemporary Tel Aviv, Photo L.A., Hancock Gallery, amongst others. She is the recipient of the Canadian Council for the Arts (CCA) Research and Creation Grant (2021), Ingram Prize, CCA Digital Originals Innovation Grant, Queen Sonja Print Award Finalist (all 2020) and two-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (2017/2018). Her works reside in the Royal Collection Clarence House, V&A Museum and Ingram Collection.
“I wanted to create a wider relevance, reinterpreting the sonnet to reflect our relationship with the environment. An image of the temperate room from Kew Gardens became the base of the piece. I wanted an image that would feel at home in the UK, if not immediately familiar. This connection is important, both in my artistic practice and when speaking about the climate. I often describe place as a “felt history.” Our connection to a place paints a portrait that is both incredibly personal and universal. It’s my hope that this work sets a stage between the past, present and future. Making it made me think about the roles we take and how we choose to cast ourselves.”
“What I always like about Shakespeare was there were only two storylines: tragedy or comedy. Reinterpreting this quote also reinterprets the sonnet’s tone.”