Canal Side Dreams — liumengxia

Thank you to the canal residents who volunteered their time and talking with us
and giving us insight into their lives.
Thank you also to Grand Union for supporting and funding this project.
And to the art departments at Birmingham City University
and the University of Birmingham.

Project description:

This project is Grand Union and seven University of Birmingham MA Curating students are working together to launch On Tropism, a project platforming new bodies of work by three Grand Union studio artists, Which is Mengxia Liu, Adam Neal and Dan Cippico, opening in June 2021.

Using reportage style techniques to observe and interact with Birmingham’s diverse communities, Chinese illustrator Mengxia takes inspiration from the rich sensory experiences of public events such as Frankfurt Christmas Market and Bullring Open Market. In her intricate studies of the mundane and often overlooked, Mengxia explores the overlapping narratives that inform vibrant city life.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the meaning of topics such as home, mobility and accessibility, into greater consideration. Taking a cue from these issues and from Grand Union Gallery’s namesake, Mengxia was motivated to explore how these themes resonated with those who call Birmingham’s historic canal networks home. Through conversations made possible by the hospitality and generosity of local canal residents, the unique routines and shifting circumstances of canal life have been brought into relief, informing her new works ‘Canalside dreams’. More information about this project, please see the Grand Union project. https://grand-union.org.uk/projects/on-tropism-grand-union-x-university-of-birmingham-art-history-curating/#mengxia-liu-2