Life unfolds through ruptures, navigating the vast sea of time. The changes in life are scouring, drifting, and surging; how can we anchor ourselves in the here and now? The anchor unexpectedly appears in a basket of washed fruit, in lunch shared with others, in the soles of sneakers while walking, and in an old dream that has been revisited several times. It is neither yesterday nor the future, but an anchor that exists in the present moment. We discover it, tie it, and lower it, until the next wave comes.

Anchoring the Presence is a solo exhibition by artist Sin Wah Lai, co-curated by Siu Tung (Venus Lau) and Sally Leung. In times of ongoing crises, the exhibition returns to the pure connection between art and everyday life, practicing the state of being present during ordinary routines. After several relocations, Lai describes her current situation as being in a period of “housewarming of an old home.” The works reflect her process of settling down, along with the entanglements with her family, following her return to Hong Kong and a lengthy renovation process. In the exhibition, she closely examines eating and walking—two fundamental experiences in life—as materials to build an inner home within her heart. Lai explores the notions of "anchoring" and "moving," existing in our food and steps, and transforms them into installations, images, performances, and their traces. In the intimate, trivial, and mundane pieces of life, we try to nourish resilience within, find each other, and flow together.

Venue: Diana Cheung Experimental Gallery, 3/F, Hong Kong Arts Centre