aloneness - một, 2025

một, meaning “one” in Vietnamese, reflects both individuality and unity. This exhibition captures a journey of contracting and expanding through aloneness, loneliness and oneness. Emerging from years of solitary practice, it marks a first opening reaching toward life while allowing life to flow through. It gathers all the “ones” held within aloneness, loneliness, oneness and the spaces in between.

The installation embodies shifting states of being: the solidity of solitude, the hollowness of isolation and the universal longing for connection. It arises from a place of authenticity and vulnerability where the tension between solitude and togetherness becomes visible. At times, overwhelm and emptiness press in so strongly that all one can do is sit, breathe and simply be. In these moments, the work becomes a shelter, a gentle embrace holding as it is held. What emerges from within returns to envelop like the endless interwoven cycles of life.

Each piece is a living record, shaped by the moment and made tangible through materials at hand. Wire reaches outward, bold and visible; thread folds inward, delicate and almost imperceptible. In moments of enoughness, the canvas opens into space and simplicity.

Created slowly and intuitively with mindful awareness, these works are marks of presence, connecting with space, people and the more-than-human world. They invite reflection on being alone and together, offering space for shared understanding amidst the ever-changing flow of life. 

This exhibition is developed through The Mill’s Kayangan Residency, supported by donors Geoff Martin and Sorayya Mahmood Martin. The residency results in an exhibition, a workshop, and an artist talk, with support from Create Australia, Create SA, and OzAsia Festival.

Images courtesy of the artist & The Mill by Photographer Neasan McGuiness.