Cherie Leung, How are you?, cotton fabric, batting, thread, 35in x 28.5in, 2024.

Cherie Leung, How are you?, cotton fabric, batting, thread, 35in x 28.5in, 2024.

This soft sculpture/wearable captures feelings of comfort and isolation. The hand-stitched words, “I’m fine thank you” are silent but bold, announcing the expected response when someone asks, “How are you?”, regardless of how one really feels.

When worn, the piece looks like a cocoon but is also reminiscent of a straitjacket, which reinforces the restraint of expressing one’s actual mental health.

Cherie Leung, Telling my story, yarn and fabric scraps, approx. 18inx11.5x7.5in, 2023.

This piece is knitted from yarn and fabric from previous projects. The textiles intertwine, representing various memories and experiences to create who the artist is today.

Cherie Leung, I'm Okay, vinyl, cotton batting and emergency blanket, 42inx35.5in, 2023.

(installation view)

This piece reflects on the need for depression medication. Evocative of a pill packet, it is quilted with a shower curtain, 3 emergency blankets and batting. As with a quilt, the medication provides a sense of comfort and relief.

Cherie Leung, Big Lady and Steve, paper maché and found materials, Big Lady approx. 57in(h)x48in(w)x26in(d); Steve approx. 37in(h)x48in(l)x19in(d)_2023.

These large sculptures were inspired by alebrijes after a residency in Oaxaca, Mexico. They are made with pieces of packaging and newspaper salvaged from Oaxaca and from everyday life in Toronto. Meaningful and mundane scraps combine into large, magical, and abstract pieces that are literally formed from memories and experiences.

Cherie Leung, Time Heals All Wounds, embroidery thread, quilting cotton, batting, 9.25inx32in, 2023.

Fortune cookies are mass-produced, yet we hope desperately that they are true. The process of enlarging and hand-embroidering this piece was a way of personalizing and preserving the message that was received.

Cherie Leung, Time Heals All Wounds, embroidery thread, quilting cotton, batting, 9.25inx32in, 2023. 

(detail view)

Cherie Leung, Gazelle, mixed textiles (cotton, corduroy, tulle, wig, burlap, wool, felt, twine) on canvas, approx. 75inx85in, 2023.

An experiment in "painting without paint". The piece is dynamic and can be installed in different positions, mimicking the movement of a gazelle.

Cherie Leung, Gazelle, mixed textiles (cotton, corduroy, tulle, wig, burlap, wool, felt, twine) on canvas, approx. 75inx85in, 2023.

(detail view)

Cherie Leung - Visceral Series (installation view), 2023

(installation view)

This series comprise 4 works of abstracted forms that evoke feelings of the body.

Cherie Leung, Open, felt, zipper, yarn batting, 44.25in x 18in, 2023.

The size, scale and abstract form causes us to think about the body within different spatial narratives. The form is figurative, but ambiguous. It can be interpreted as different body parts (whole figure, tongue, lips, legs, genitalia), each creating a different narrative. 

Cherie Leung, Capsule, resin and artificial hair on wood panel,12inx16in, 2023.

Hair stays long after our bodies disintegrate. Pill-shaped resin capsules further freezes the hair as a comment on preservation, science and medicine.

Cherie Leung, Spill, knit fabric yarn, dimensions varied, 2023.

Installed at torso height, this long crocheted chain creates a mass resembling entrails.

Cherie Leung, Smile, latex, 34inx25in, 2023.

Use of latex in this piece evokes a skin-like texture. The "lumps" could be interpreted as lumps in the body (e.g., cysts, tumours), and the form at the bottom centre is shaped like a smile with teeth.