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I Just Left The Candle There

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Dimensions : 500cm x 500cm x 1000cm, sculpture height varies                                    Medium : Wax, Paper                                       Year : 2023

Inspired by our conversations with Yvonne, a Pastoral Care Worker at Assisi Hospice, “I just left the candle there” is a homage to a time where Yvonne lit a candle as a passing tribute to a former patient. Represented through the form of wax, the work is a translation of time between people, faith and spiritual connections.

Executed by artist Ng Jia Xi, Liu Wen Chao, Divya D. D/O Ravichandran, Soh Chihiro and Tham Keenan, this collaborative artwork showcases the journey of Yvonne Gabrielle Chen, a Pastoral Care Worker at Assisi Hospice.

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In the experimental phases of the artwork, the collective of artists sought to capture Yvonne's kindness in her career as a hospice care worker. The artwork eventually took on the medium of wax to pay homage to Yvonne's religious roots in Catholicism, in addition to an instance where she lit a candle in homage to her late patient. Presented on three 500cm x 500cm x 1000cm pedestals, each wax sculpture embodies a different form from the other. The three pedestals individually represent the past, present and hopes of the future of Yvonne.

Passing of time bound by wax - Pages of the melting process

The process of creating these sculptures include molybdomancy - casting hot wax through cold water to form organic cloud like shapes, as well as a ritualistic-like process of melting the candles with fire. The process of melting was then captured and printed into a publication book, bound by wax. The book holds multiple blank pages and minute images, replicating the feeling an intimate inner thought process and the passing of time.

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"I just left the candle there" was presented at the exhibition "Stories of Care", a collaboration between NAFA and Assisi Hospice in late November 2023.

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Images of the exhibition showcase

© Ng Jia Xi

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