Re-wetting the void: Tenter Ground, London

Re-wetting the void is a multidisciplinary group exhibition that explores sound as a medium by inviting audiences into an inner state of listening and stillness as a starting point. Posited by the late pioneering composer and accordionist Pauline Oliveros, the mere act of observing a sound changes the sound itself, while simultaneously changing the listener. The exhibition features work by an all-female group of artists: WeiXin Quek Chong (b. 1998, Singapore; living in Madrid), Isabella Dyson (b. U.K.; living in London), Chang Meng (b. China; lives and working between London and Chengdu), Phuong Nguyen (b.1992, Canada; living in Toronto) and Fiona Ones (b.1986, Germany; living in Munich), alongside a live activation by Tangram which takes place during London Gallery Weekend (Sunday 7 June: 13.30-14.00 & 15.30-16.00).

 

On the central wall, Planche is an ongoing series of works by Phuong Nguyen engaging directly with theorist Anne Anlin Cheng's critique of the Asian female body as a synthetic, decorative object.In Ornamentalism, these objects themselves become peri-human, existing in the liminal zone between personhood and object. By extension and playing with the idea of “living yet dead”, the artist gravitates towards imagery that is domestically familiar and ritualistic, such as incense sticks and smoke - a tool that is used to communicate with the ancestors who have passed. Commonly found in Vietnamese ancestral altars among offerings of fruit are mangosteens, which have a reputation for being the Queen of Fruits due to their small window of ripeness and their sweet taste; it was considered so exotic that it was out of reach for even European royalty before modern refrigeration.  Hands (or the implication of hands) make an appearance in both paintings, appearing in a way that they seemingly belong to ghostly bodies. Referencing the 1919 French colonial publication L’Art à Hué, each of the works is titled Planche [plate] alongside a Roman numeral of the publication’s matching illustration. Nguyen further reinvents the colonial source’s illustrations in three-dimensional forms by pulling from its corresponding imagery to construct the frames.

 

The diptych, Planche XLIV, is tied to an aviary-like structure decorated with materials derived from marine sources, such as baroque pearls and abalone inlay. This ornamentation is deliberate, serving as conflicting signifiers of danger, movement, healing, and hope for Vietnamese refugees during and after the Vietnam War. Through the making process, these materials acquire a sacred quality for the artist, transforming the piece into something akin to a traditional Vietnamese family altar—a highly revered and decorated space central to ancestral worship. The wooden structure is, in turn, suspended by woven viscose twine. This twine (commonly used to fasten banana leaves in cultural cooking, gardening, and general binding) acts as both a physical medium and a visual signifier of repair, reassemblage, and migration. It not only binds the various elements of the artwork together but is also woven to provide foundational structural support. Furthermore, the twine weaving references Western understandings of "craft" while highlighting the historically undervalued labour of women from the global majority.

 

WeiXin Quek Chong offers non-gendered explorations of the body in Jade Liquid Bondage, an ongoing series of sculptures featuring translucent water pouches made from cast silicone and strapped with soft metal chains. Cast from a non-porous material that repels water, sweat, and other liquids, the sculptures are soft and hyper-realistic. Their forms evoke the fresh iced drinks and teas served in clear plastic bags tied tightly with rubber bands—often featuring a convenient carrying loop—that are a familiar sight in Southeast Asia. By this design, beverages stay colder for longer in hot climates allowing them to hang easily from motorcycle handlebars or a finger while walking. These sculptures are juxtaposed alongside elongacion liquida 1. [liquid stretch]. This work utilises the imagery of an orchid—a known symbol of decadence, luxury, and danger—to represent hyper-refined sensuality and the femme fatale. Proust famously used the exotic Cattleya orchid to symbolise sexual desire and hidden intrigue, with the phrase "doing a Cattleya" acting as a thinly veiled literary code in his work. In this image, the artist incorporates an orchid variety marked by an eruption of viral-looking fuchsia coloured spots, reminiscent of measles on human skin, hinting at a contagion and the hidden rot made visible.