Over five decades, Song Dong’s mother, Zhao Xiangyuan, collected items ranging from a section of the family home, from metal pots and plastic bowls to blankets, bottle caps, toothpaste tubes and toys.
The activity of saving and re-using things is in keeping with the Chinese adage wu jin qi yong – ‘waste not’ – a prerequisite for survival during periods of social and political turmoil.
The first major exhibition in the UK by the Chinese artist, Waste Not spoke of the strong bonds between family members and the power of objects to tell stories and shape our lives as visitors were invited to intimately relate to their extraordinary life story.
