Kayleigh Goh’ s online solo exhibition Soft Whispers of the City draws inspiration from the thinkers of new materialism, a field of inquiry that the artist grew fascinated with during her post-graduate studies in Melbourne. Veering away from anthropocentrism, new materialism encourages a less human-dominated perspective of reality, and embraces nonhuman alongside human voices.
The exhibit is thus Goh’s attempt to grapple with what it means to truly listen to the voices of things, reflecting a deeper curiosity towards her materials and their interconnectedness to the rest of the world.
Created as the Malaysia-born artist was pursuing her MFA in Melbourne, the works employ found objects and materials Goh discovered during her solitary explorations around the city: fallen leaves and petals around a river, rocks and debris she found along the roadsides.
While continuing her profound engagements with places, Soft Whispers of the City reveals the artist expanding herself from indoor to outdoor spaces, as she finds solace through being a flaneur, an acute observer. The entire exhibit thus expresses this journey of discovering a place foreign to her, and how through listening to the soft whispers of the spaces and objects around her, she finds connection-a way back home.
