null (ii)

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A concoction of image-work, sculptural experimentation, and fashion, this photo series presents the creation of Loanne II Tran's thesis at OCADU this past year. Late to the party, she had begun her thesis practice half-way through the year and devoted the time to making three sculptures: a bed of nails, a spiked eye patch and barbed wire wings. Their long term career goal is to find the balance of their style of fine arts and fashion editorial. Each sculpture was made up of different industrial materials, all handmade and made to puncture the subject. During the making-process of these sculptures and photographs, Loanne had studied and self-experienced the mindset of nihilism and derealization, two viewpoints that share the common sight of all things senseless, useless and detached from all. The only thing that allowed Loanne to shock herself back to a present mindset, was the method of pain and pleasure. This oxymoron triggered a response in her system while building and photographing the sculptures with the models. The factor of pain, the colour red, alluring queer people and marvelous shiny silvers brought Loanne the conflicting relationship of pain and pleasure, but coincidentally allowed a moment of pause from believing that life is meaningless.

"Null, as an adjective, means something “without value, effect, consequence, or significance”. It can also mean “being or amounting to nothing, lacking, or nonexistent”. Though the word literally means nothing, the feeling of nothing can hold so much. Grappling with themes of nihilism, derealization, and how pain and pleasure bring us out of these states, null is a manifestation of my struggle with existence."

Where it's been: OCAD University Grad Ex 107, Toronto, 2022