MOTH CAPE: BIG CRYBABY

Moth Cape: Big Crybaby is a tribute to Chan’s maternal grandmother, who died when Chan was still an infant. Chan’s mother describes her own mother as a “big crybaby”, a phrase that appears in Chinese script across the vibrant silk painting. For Chan, the phrase is an affectionate one, and one with which she also identifies.

The work also reflects on the lives of women in traditional 圍頭 (Waitau/Weitou) families, where social structures were deeply patriarchal and women had few rights. Chan draws on forms of feminine-coded labour—such as embroidery, silk and ornamental decoration—to explore these gendered histories. She has also begun learning Indigenous Waitau tassel weaving on a back-strap loom, which appears in the lower corners of the work. In Waitau culture, moths are believed to carry the spirits of ancestors. Through silk, weaving and cocoon-like embroidered words, Moth Cape: Big Crybaby seeks to honour matrilineal knowledge and imagine its renewal across generations.