Pei-Hsuan Wang

Pei-Hsuan Wang and her family’s migration from Taiwan to the United States deeply influences her practice, shaping an ongoing exploration of identity through the lens of diaspora.

Weaving together folklore, family history, and mythical archetypes, Wang’s work navigates the intersections of disparate cultural influences, reflecting the complexities of hybrid identities. While rooted in personal narratives, her practice also engages with broader geopolitical themes, tracing the invisible threads that connect past and present, heritage and belonging.

Pei-Hsuan Wang’s contribution to RHIZOMA 2025 comprises two interconnected works: Cabinet, a work on paper, and Sister Folding Laundry, a sculptural outdoor installation.

For Cabinet, Wang invited her family to photograph the interiors of their kitchen cabinets, intimate spaces of daily life. She selected an image by her brother-in-law, capturing a quiet, personal view of homemaking. In MASEREEL’s studios, the photograph was transformed through etching techniques combining soft and hard ground, aquatint, and chine-collé. The resulting work presents a simple yet evocative arrangement of mismatched tableware—plates, bowls, dishes—handmade, gifted, purchased, or inherited. Worn and chipped, these objects carry layered histories, embodying shared contributions and household memory. The vibrant palette, inspired by temple and wall paintings in southern Taiwan, bridges cultural heritage with the poetry of the ordinary.

Sister Folding Laundry, installed permanently in MASEREEL’s flower field, draws on Wang’s reflections on Kasterlee’s landscape, histories of forced migration, and her own family’s heritage. Inspired by a photograph of her sister folding socks, Wang rendered the figure in luminous yellow stained glass, highlighting domestic labour as a quiet ritual and symbol of belonging. The pose evokes a Buddha, while the house-like, shrine-like structure reinforces a meditative stillness. Despite its scale, the installation remains light and open, integrating harmoniously into the landscape.

Rooted in themes of kinship, memory, and migration, Wang’s works bridge the domestic and the spiritual, honouring resilience and the quiet beauty of everyday life.

Cabinet (2025)
Etching, aquatint on copper, digital chine-collé
78 x 53 cm
Edition of 15 + 4 AP

Sister Folding Laundry (2025)
Galvanized steel, stained glass panels, light installation
330 x 500 x 115 cm