Mother by Mindy Meng Wang

“Mother is the most private work from the COVID inspired project Enduring Union, in which I use music, film and images to tell stories from Wuhan, my hometown Lanzhou, and where I live now, Melbourne.

Many families have been separated by the virus this year, some sadly between life and death, some luckier between different countries. My mother lives alone in Lanzhou, an industrial city in northwest of China. The Australia travel ban from China started on 1st of February, just a few days before my mother’s flight to Melbourne, to our long-waited reunion.

Since then, there have been many outbreaks and lockdowns in Lanzhou and Melbourne, we worry about each other but there is nothing we can do. I haven’t seen my mother for almost 2 years, and with the restriction of international travel and political tension I can’t even estimate when we will see each other again.

In Mother, for the first time, I will tell you my personal stories between me and my mother, especially the complex emotional journey we are going through during global pandemic.”

Mother by Mindy Meng Wang is presented as part of Mapping Melbourne 2020-21.

Principal Partners:
City of Melbourne, Creative Victoria and Australia Council for the Arts

Supporting Partners:
PBS FM