Cian Dayrit's Embroidered Maps Critique Nation-Building at Cheng-Lan's Corner

Filipino artist Cian Dayrit presents 'A Country, A Body' at Cheng-Lan's Corner in Hong Kong, featuring embroidered collages created with Henry Caceres and Rj Fernandez. The works use cartographic symbols and layered imagery to critique colonial history and contemporary nation-building. 'A Country' (2024) includes photographs of dams, infrastructure, and a monument to José Rizal, overlaid with symbols of control like barbed wire and surveillance cameras. 'A Body' (2024) centers on a crocodile corpse suspended from a crane, with embroidered annotations of broadcast towers and syringes. The exhibition also includes 'Counter-Maps From Workshops' (2017–24) documenting land reclamation and industrial agriculture, and 'Shrines for the Battle Dance (I–VIII)' (2024), eight drawers filled with objects like military insignias and toy soldiers. The show runs from 18 March to 17 May 2025.