a small but comfy house and maybe a dog

The title of this exhibition comes from a text, “Me in the Future,” that I wrote at age eleven and put in a time capsule, speculating by the age of twenty-five I’d be married, have a career, and “a small but comfy house and maybe a dog.” Starting from these childhood fantasies of domestic love and financial stability, this exhibition explores how these dreams function within the wider contexts of colonial history, property, theft, and institutional collections.

Furniture from my childhood home, which my parents were in the midst of moving out of that year, served as all of the supports (plinths, etc.) in the exhibition. This project was also shaped by its neighbours: a luxury condominium development happening across the street, and the Richmond Public Library next door. The Richmond Public Library holds a large collection of Chinese-language materials amassed by a feng shui scholar. Some of these materials were brought into my exhibition, and I consulted a feng shui practitioner for advice for my exhibition installation. Feng shui is the Daoist practice of ensuring harmony between individual and environment.

Looty played the role of the imagined dog from the exhibition title.