May 13, Cinéma du Musée; June 13, Goethe-Institut Montréal (did not take place) — Work in Progress
Created by Mi-Jeong Lee
The red carpet is a fixture of any major event — a road of non-natural material reserved for the acclaimed, the prominent, the class-rated. Passage of Seedlings releases that anchored idea, replacing it with a living passage of edible seedling plants.
Marking the first edition of MAiFF built by 17–18 young emerging artists — students and rising leaders of Montreal’s Asian art communities — each of the 18 seedlings bore the name of a young MAiFF staff member. Over the six weeks of the festival, only 10 survived the changing weather. The planned second exhibition, set for June 13 at Goethe-Institut Montréal, could not take place — and this, too, was part of the work. The passing of some seedlings, and the persistence of others, became a living portrait of relational affect between host and guest, in the care of relations.
This piece continues Lee’s ongoing exploration of care and relationship — between giver and recipient, host and guest — carried through paper, textiles, recycled materials, and live plants. Her work weaves through soil, body, and story, always making room for emerging artists to collaborate.
Materials: 18 living seedling plants and boxes
Collaborator: Janet Lumb (Music Composer and Founder of Green Chinatown Garden)
Slow Forms 