For East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month, LSE Archivist Lisa McQuillan highlights some of the artworks you can see on LSE’s campus which take inspiration from cultural heritage traditions in that part of the world.
The artworks recently commissioned and acquired for display on the LSE campus are from a range of young artists from diverse backgrounds, chosen with the aim of reflecting the environments many of the students at LSE come from.
As you enter the Marshall Building on your left, you will see a mural commissioned for the site by Taiwanese artist Yi Ling Lai. Ling draws on traditional Chinese calligraphy techniques in her work although the resulting work is abstract rather than representational.
The mural has an almost 3D appearance and looks to be growing across the space. The artist wants the work to open a conversation with the viewer by transcending language through their calligraphy inspired design. You can hear Yi Ling Lai talk about the piece in this video on the LSE commissions.
Maya Gurung-Russell Campbell is a South London based artist who has also been inspired by cultural traditions related to her heritage, drawing on elements from both Nepalese and Caribbean culture. Her work, displayed on the first floor of the Marshall Building, takes inspiration from the mask making traditions of Nepal.
There is an unsettling quality to these images as well as a glimpse of comfort in some of the traditional fabrics pictured. You can find out more about Maya’s personal response to the display of cultural objects from across the globe by the British Museum, and about the influence of her Nepali artist grandmother.
K V Duong is a Vietnamese artist who addresses themes of war, migration, and cultural assimilation in his painting. His vivid painting Boardroom, on the ground floor of the Marshall Building, has a hypnotic blend of abstract and representational elements which are potentially dream or nightmare-like with imagery linked to his parents’ experience of the Vietnam War. Read about his experiences painting this series during lockdown.
All of these artworks are in publicly accessible parts of the Marshall building so please bring visitors and encourage people to come and enjoy them!
