Hypernatural presents Joyce Lin’s multidisciplinary approach toward material exploration and human intervention. Drawing inspiration from philosophy, history, literature, and science, Lin presents new work that brings abstract concepts into tangible form.
Throughout the exhibition, Lin employs a variety of artistic techniques to mimic natural materials and challenge our understanding of their intrinsic limitations. Works like Wood Chair, Metal Chair, and Surfaces All the Way Down explore material artifice, but let go of the “real” to present Lin’s own conceived ideals of what materials like metal, wood, or stone look like. Inspired by Plato’s allegory of the cave, she presents the question: Is total realism achievable, or is it a self-generated perception?
In the Kudzu Series, Lin delves into the complex narrative of the kudzu vine, a ubiquitous sight in the American South. She uses repurposed materials and harvested kudzu vines to create structures that evoke belonging and estrangement, function and dysfunction, growth and decay. The series reflects the artist’s process of dissection, reconstruction, and mimicry, embodying the resilience and adaptability of the kudzu vine itself.
In Hypernatural, Joyce Lin shifts her focus beyond material dissection to grapple with a world where structure and logic blur with illusion and intent, and the authentic and artificial become indistinguishable.
Wall color generously provided by Alkemis Paint.