Living in Space/Time

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David Ho Yeung Chan

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He didn't turns back.

It was as it he'd boarded a very long train

Heading for a drowsy future - - -

Through the unfathomable night"1

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1. Following a long discussion with both Lin Yilin and Chen Tong, we have finally agreed upon the title A Spatio-temporal Tunnel for Lin Yilin’s solo exhibition. What potential meanings may lie in the staging of a tunnel within a gallery towards an investigation of space and time? Whose space and time and why in the form of a bilateral structure? Lin Yilin is a nomad who is persistently critical of his own sense of movement; his interventions are in direct response to particular localities and contexts. Lin is a patient person who prefers to first submerge himself in a situation for awhile prior to the realization of a project. His position as an artist has always been marginal both in China and the United States, from taking performances to the street in Guangzhou during the early 1990’s to his eventual migration to New York city in 2001, transience remains the subject matter for his recent work. One trait remains unshaken- the belief that an idea must come from observing what is happening around him and that art should be made in relevance to different communities.

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2. Lin Yilin belongs to the Big Tail Elephant Working Group which emerged  in  Guangzhou  during the early 

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