Consolations for a Broken Daughter
Kunstenlab
In Consolations for a Broken Daughter, she explores the complex relationship between mother and daughter, shaped by attachment and care, but also by tradition, conflict, and transformation. The exhibition embodies cycles of holding on and letting go, and the search for balance between the two. The installation at Kunstenlab consists of two circles that mirror one another, each representing one side of the mother–daughter bond. The circle and its internal patterns are recurring symbols from the classical Chinese I Ching (also known as The Book of Changes), in which time, fate, and transformation are understood as cyclical rather than linear. The first circle in the space is filled with objects that, for Ellen Yiu, are connected to home, identity, and accumulated memories. The second circle represents the psychological and emotional echo of the first, expressing absence, longing, and projection. With this exhibition, Ellen Yiu invites viewers to emotionally experience the tension between intimacy and autonomy, memory and projection, care and control.
During the opening, a performance by two dancers—a mother and daughter—activates the installation. Through movement, they embody the tension and depth of the maternal bond, negotiating distance and connection while wearing a shared costume that can be adjusted to shift boundaries. A video recording of this performance will be included in the exhibition.