‘皮肤2 ’— 河久儿
In East Asian cultural contexts, earth is not merely a natural element but a form of bodily kinship, a cultural “maternal tone” carried within. Skin II is constructed through industrial jacquard weaving with nylon mesh warp and synthetic fibers, forming an arched surface that resembles a lifted layer of land. This elevation magnifies the weight, tension, and breath of soil within the spatial environment. The coolness of industrial materials layered with the textile’s soft curvature creates a metaphor for how land is reshaped, covered, and reinterpreted in contemporary society. By returning to the “skin of earth,” the work uses contrasts in material and the stretching of form to stitch together two spaces: the primal memory of land and the present condition of living elsewhere.
River was born in Chongqing, China. She graduated from Zhejiang University of Media and Communications with a bachelor's degree and from the Bergen Academy of Arts in Norway with a master's degree. She currently resides in Bergen, Norway. Using photography and textiles as her primary mediums, she focuses on the perceptual relationship between natural elements and the body, as well as the flow of energy on both material and spiritual levels. She uses "thread" as a vehicle for thought and emotion, exploring the inherent tension between "connection" and "distance" through the layers, gaps, and extensions of fabric. Her work lies between figuration and abstraction, transforming natural elements such as water, wood, fire, and earth into a visual language about memory, belonging, and existence. Her practice is deeply influenced by the natural environment and her personal state of mind, constantly forming a self - dialogue through the inspiration of nature, responding to the rhythm and changes of the external world through her work.
