Engages,
Ryan Naga ‘Homing’ in on Naarm
Dates: Wednesday 3 April, 12pm - 5pm
‘A previous partner once told me I reminded her of a pigeon because I walk funny and eat garbage. Since then, pigeons have found their way onto my paper and into my thoughts.’
‘Homing’ is an experimental data collection project with community at the core of its design ethos. Drawing inspiration from the pigeon’s ability to return to home locations, ‘Homing’ is centred around performative interviews on homes, houses, and feelings of (un)belonging.
‘Homing’ follows a four-step process.
One) The guest sits down facing the artist. There is a sheet of paper between both people.
Two) The interview begins.
Three) Following the interview, the guest is asked to point on the paper.
Four) The artist draws a pigeon where their finger is.
One pigeon drawn = one person interviewed.
Free to attend, guests are invited to visit the gallery for a conversation with the artist. Sessions will be recorded. Video recordings or transcribed interviews may be used in the next activation of the project. Guests are allowed to remain anonymous.
Ryan Naga(he/him) is a Malaysian-Chinese artist, educator, and designer living and working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Having completed most of his practise in Western Australia, Ryan works from the perspective of a young person of colour looking at a space from the outside in – exploring themes of nostalgia, eagerness, language, memory, and ‘home’ as an abstract idea rather than a physical location. The artist constantly questions the boundaries between the ‘home’ and the ‘foreign’, and how these definitions can often intersect and overlap. Ryan has participated in artist residencies in the Red Earth Arts Festival (2022), Cool Change Contemporary (2022), The Blender Studios (Virtual) (2021), and has run art workshops in the WA Museum Boola Bardup (2023), the State Library of Western Australia (2021), and community high schools in Yandeyarra, WA and Karratha, WA (2022). Ryan worked as the Visual Arts Coordinator for Pigeonhole Perth’s FLOCK Festival (2022) before returning to Malaysia for his second solo exhibition at Hin Bus Depot.