Xiaotong(Elissa) Wang

About

Can we preserve our heritage by textiles?

Xiaotong (Elissa) uses her work to reflect on the impact of globalization and modernization on cultural diversity and traditional cultural patterns. Being born and raised in Inner Mongolia, having lived in Beijing and studied in London, she is using herself as an example of cultural erasure, telling her stories and experiences through materials. Considering the difference between dwelling spaces, she conveys her Mongolian heritage and western experiences by working closely with both natural and man-made architectural materials, exploring the contrast between hard and soft. In her textile work she mixes fibre and yarns from Mongolian and the UK. Xiaotong (Elissa) invites her audiences to think about their heritage and roots when they see her work.

Contact

Degree Details

Statement

Xiaotong (Elissa) is a London based Chinese-Mongolian knitted textile artist, who explores the problem of cultural erasure under the context of globalisation. She creates knitted sculptures by combining unconventional textiles materials with knitting. She intends to raise the audience’s awareness of the loss of cultural diversity by telling her stories and experiences in her work. 

The Structure of Sadness on Cultural Erasure

Showing different layers of cultures by combining different materials
Showing different layers of cultures by combining different materials
Materials: Concrete/ Wet felted wool/Knitted Wire/Cashmere
Materials: Concrete/ Wet felted wool/Knitted Wire/Cashmere
Domestic Knitting-Cut Floats with foil
Domestic Knitting-Cut Floats with foil
Materials: Concrete/ Branches/ Knitted Wire/Cashmere from Mongolia and London
Materials: Concrete/ Branches/ Knitted Wire/Cashmere from Mongolia and London
The structure of losing cultural diversity
The structure of losing cultural diversity
Inserting the knitted piece into concrete to show the absorb of different cultures
Inserting the knitted piece into concrete to show the absorb of different cultures
Using soft materials to cover hard- same with how ovoo is built
Using soft materials to cover hard- same with how ovoo is built
Materials: Branches/Knitted Wire/ Cashmere from Mongolia and London
Materials: Branches/Knitted Wire/ Cashmere from Mongolia and London
Process-Material combination tests
Process-Material combination tests
Colour references and material tests
Colour references and material tests