Eleng Luluan presents a monumental sculpture at Princes Dock, Liverpool Waters, inspired by the artist’s memories of growing up in the indigenous Kucapungane community, a Rukai aboriginal village in the mountains of southern Taiwan.

Princes Dock, Liverpool Waters, L3

‘Ngialibalibade – to the Lost Myth’ (2023) depicts the legend of the founder of Rukai, believed to have been born from a pottery jar protected by two snakes. In the Rukai language, the title ‘Ngialibalibade – to the Lost Myth’ (2023) translates as ‘a large rock wall’ or ‘rock bed with sparse vegetation’, referencing the landslides and typhoons common in the artist’s home region. Climate change means that these natural disasters are increasing in frequency, forcibly displacing communities and fracturing their traditions and culture. Through positioning the work between two bodies of water – the River Mersey and Princes Dock – and by using found and recycled fishing nets as a key material, Luluan asks us to consider our relationship to and reliance on water, and to reflect on the devastating impact of climate change here and around the world.