Love, a family gathering that lives only in my mind

Emily Tian

Love, a family gathering that lives only in my mind
Cyanotype on silk panels, red thread, bamboo support
125 x 89 cm
$1200

In 'Love, a family gathering that lives only in my mind', Emily Tian reconstructs a shared moment that exists between memory and imagination. The work brings together archival family photographs across multiple generations, forming a fragmented gathering around a table. One that could never have existed in reality yet feels deeply familiar.
Printed as cyanotypes on silk and stitched together with red thread, the piece reflects on connection across time and distance. The red thread draws from an East Asian proverb describing an invisible bond between those destined to meet, suggesting an enduring link between past and present. Figures appear layered and partially obscured, slipping in and out of memory.
Drawing on her experience within a Chinese diasporic context, Tian explores how family, belonging, and identity are shaped across generations. The soft, shifting qualities of cyanotype mirror the instability of recollection, some images remain clear, while others dissolve.

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Artworks currently on exhibition can be collected from the gallery at 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000 once the exhibition has concluded. Collection is available during gallery hours: Tuesday to Friday, 12–7pm, and Saturday, 12–4pm.

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