I Just Left The Candle There

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.

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.

"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.

Images of the exhibition showcase