These actual-size drawings of lint, dust, and hair engage an uncomfortable tension between instinct and intellect. Conflicted, the mind struggles to suppress the body's impulse to blow or brush away these illusory but truly irritating sheddings. The real, the represented, and the imagined intertwine, leading to contradictory experiences of seeing, feeling, and knowing.

Drawings of Dust (2000-2004)
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) silver on gesso on paper
Breath #17
2001
silver on gesso on paper
14 x 11 inches


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Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) silver on gesso on paper
Detail of Breath #17
2001
silver on gesso on paper
7 inches of 14 x 11 total

The quiet, meditative space of the work cannot be conveyed in these magnified images. Most of the reproductions are details of the larger “dust clusters,” which are organized in various ways. They range from sparse, barely noticeable scatters to undulating, infinite accumulations.
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) silver on gesso on paper
Detail of Itch #10
2001
silver on gesso on paper
7 x 9 inches of 11 x 14 total
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) silver on gesso on paper
Itch #1
2000
silver on gesso on paper
14 x 11 inches
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) wood, paint, graphite or silver on gesso on paper
Installation of Shelf Drawings
2002
wood, paint, graphite or silver on gesso on paper
Shelves vary from 12 to 36 inches wide, 3 to 4 inches high

The shelf drawings are laid flat on precisely fitted shelves. This placement furthers the false impression that actual particles have accumulated on the paper. Viewers must engage with the work physically, bending over as if studying specimens or manuscripts.
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) graphite on gesso on paper on shelf
Detail of Shelf Drawing #3
2001
graphite on gesso on paper on shelf
3 x 5 inches of 6 x 22 total
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) silver on gesso on paper on shelf
Detail of Shelf Drawing #7
2002
silver on gesso on paper on shelf
4 1/2 x 2 1/1 inches of 10 x 30 total
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) graphite on claycoated paper
Detail of Dust Drawing Apr 04-2
2004
graphite on claycoated paper
7 x 8 inches of 9 x 12 total
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) graphite on clay-coated paper
Detail of Dust Drawing 1-04
2004
graphite on clay-coated paper
8 x 10 inches of 9 x 12 total
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) graphite on claycoated paper
Detail of Dust Drawing Mar04-1
2004
graphite on claycoated paper
7 x 6 inches of 12 x 9 total
Cynthia Lin Drawings of Dust (2000-2004) graphite on enamel on panel
Three, Drawn Over Time
2004
graphite on enamel on panel
24 x 32 inches each panel

The same dust clusters appear in each of these panels, gaining an accumulation of dust from the first to the third panel. An illusion of the passage of time is depicted, evoking frames in a film strip.