Thomas C. Chung, “As Far As I Could See” (i), 2023, video still

Willoughby City Council’s exhibition Infrangible Matter; Tracing the Elements is inspired by the five elements within traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean cultures.

These agents — Fire, Water, Wood, Metal and Earth — inform cosmic cycles, the interior body and the natural world. In Chinese traditional culture, they are referred to “Wǔxíng”; in Korean, as “O Haeng”; and in Vietnamese, as “Ngũ Hành”. Variations of these elements appear in cultural mythologies across the globe, including Greek folklore, Hindu ancient texts, and Japanese Godai.

The artists in Infrangible Matter draw from these roots to offer conceptual and poetic interpretations of the elements, reflecting deeper themes of colonisation, the environment, migration and personal ritual.