Lotus L. Kang on 'In Cascades' and Working with Lack

In an interview published in Afterall issue 55/56 'Out of Place', curator Chloe Ting speaks with artist Lotus L. Kang about her 2023 exhibition 'In Cascades' at Chisenhale Gallery in London (2 June – 30 July 2023). Kang describes her practice as a continuous, sedimentary process, with 'In Cascades' expanding her Membrane series (ongoing since 2017) into an immersive structure using joists, tatami mats, and unfixed photographic films that respond to light and environment. The exhibition also features 'Sticky Pup I–IV', glass rat pup sculptures installed near the canal, inspired by Martha Kenney and Ruth Müller's article on environmental epigenetics. Kang discusses her interest in parasitical figures, porosity, and illegible time, drawing on references from Octavia E. Butler, Donna J. Haraway, and Trinh T. Minh-Ha. She reflects on her diasporic Korean-Canadian background, working with 'the lack' of familial stories, and the tension between visual and verbal articulation. A second iteration of 'In Cascades' opens at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver on 29 September 2023.