Xternesta, 2022

Candice Lin’s practice is based on extensive research into the roles of artisanship, ritual, botany, and trade in the complex legacies of colonialism, slavery, and diaspora. Drawing on this research, Lin incorporates plants, herbs, and fluids into her work, organic material that not only evoke multi-sensory experiences such as touch, smell, and taste, but are also inherently prone to decay. In doing so, Lin playfully interrogates the idea of permanence, a traditional Western value that has shaped exhibition and collection protocols in museums of anthropology, natural history, and art. Standing side by side as though guarding a doorway or portal, the two animals – part animal, part human – featured in Xternesta are crafted from delicate clay, with cabinets built into their bodies that contain vials of herbal tinctures and jars of salves. Nestled into the chest cavity of the figure on the right is a hand-painted artist’s book that contains Lin’s own recipes for her concoctions.