Ethereal Kites by Hai-Wen Lin Transform into Elegant Garments and Sculptures

"In works that merge sculpture, fashion, and kite-making, Hai-Wen Lin traverses the thresholds that connect one's physical self, the mind, and the elements. The artist describes their practice as "an act of reorienting: looking back, looking forward, looking in, looking up." Using a wide range of materials, Lin creates vibrant, abstract compositions in textile often manipulated with cyanotype patterns or dyed with natural hues such as indigo and turmeric."

"They make kites "that speak the language of clothing," blurring definitions of craft, art, garments, and acts of play. Lin has long been interested in chance operations, documentation of daily life, and ways of releasing control. They artist first learned to sew as a way to explore and navigate questions of gender. During graduate school, they landed on the concept of a kite as a way of loosening up in terms of research and getting out into the open-literally embracing the wind."

"They were thus inspired by a stirring question: "What does it mean to care for, drape, dress, and accommodate change and instability?" Lin's pieces employ an array of materials and processes, such as discarded paintings, a variety of fabrics, jewelry findings, and more. "Two Can Share Heaven," for example, incorporates dyed cotton, faux fur, polyester, velvet, and silk-the latter of which harkens to historical fashion."

Hai-Wen Lin merges sculpture, fashion, and kite-making to traverse thresholds connecting the body, mind, and elements. The practice reorients through looking back, forward, inward, and upward. Lin uses diverse materials — cyanotype textiles, indigo and turmeric dyes, discarded paintings, faux fur, polyester, velvet, silk, and jewelry findings — to build vibrant abstract compositions and wearable kites. Work blurs craft, art, garment, and play while engaging chance operations, daily documentation, and relinquishing control. Sewing began as gender exploration; kites became tools for loosening research and embracing wind. Titles sometimes record dates and times when pieces were worn as garments.

Read at Colossal