Huan Wang

At Saari, I will continue my exploration of ‘edges’—both metaphorical and physical boundaries. My previous research along the Thames embankments in London focused on how built structures act as a kind of ‘skin,’ separating human presence from the river. In Finland, I shift my attention to a different kind of water-land relationship, where lakes shape landscapes, interweaving water and land, making boundaries imperceptible and fluid—unlike the linear flow of rivers.

Being in Mynämäki during early spring, I am drawn to the idea of arrival and temporary presence—both my own and that of migratory birds passing through. I follow a route that brings me to Saari, briefly becoming part of this ecological system. This transitory experience aligns with my ongoing inquiry into how boundaries are shaped and redefined. Finland fosters an acute awareness of non-human lives—caring for trees, birds, and other species—which shifts my focus from rivers to the ways water and land intertwine in this landscape. In the southwest archipelago, boundaries are fluid; water does not merely edge the land but weaves through it, forming a balanced continuity. During the residency, I seek to embody this shifting landscape, allowing it to move through me—just as water permeates land—so that I may better understand endurance and survival.

Huan Wang (b. 1994) is a textile artist from Guangdong, China, currently based in London. Her practice focuses on ephemeral textile installations in collaboration with natural environments, particularly rivers. By imprinting traces of natural elements such as mud and river water onto fabric, Wang records the transient interactions between human presence and shifting natural forces. Through her installations, she challenges the permanence of human-engineered structures—such as dams, river locks, and dock stairs—renaming them with fragile fabrics and recontextualizing them as dynamic, movable boundaries that ebb and flow with nature.