Lang Ea - Fusion to Conflict: Online Catalogue

Sanderson are pleased to present Fusion to Conflict, a compelling new exhibition of sculptural works by award winning sculptor Lang Ea, which examine the delicate balance between unity and separation, harmony and discord, through the simple yet profound form of a water droplet.

At the heart of the exhibition lies a powerful metaphor - the water droplet, moving unerringly along its path and inseparable from the greater body from which it comes, represents a state of fusion - a condition of fluid connection, interdependence, and harmonious existence. In nature, the droplet's journey is effortless; it belongs simultaneously to itself and to the whole.

Yet Fusion to Conflict explores what happens when this natural state is interrupted.

In Lang Ea’s sculptural works, the droplet becomes knotted or interrupted at the precise moment of reunion. Suspended between separation and belonging, it is fixed in a state of tension and unresolved discomfort. What should be a seamless return instead becomes a site of resistance and uncertainty.

Through this transformation, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the conflicts that emerge within communities, neighbourhoods, and nations. The sculptures become mirrors for contemporary experiences of fusion and division - moments when relationships come to together and moments when they fracture, identities harden, and the flow of connection is disrupted.

Rather than presenting conflict as an endpoint, Ea approaches it as a condition demanding engagement and inquiry. The exhibition poses urgent and universal questions: What can be done with conflict once it arises? How do we navigate the tensions that separate us from one another? Can understanding and dialogue restore a sense of connection.

The progression from Fusion to Conflict opens a broader conversation about the possibility of Harmony. Within the exhibition, harmony is not depicted as a passive or idealised state, but as something actively created through reflection and a willingness to engage with communication and difference. 

Elegant in form yet rich in symbolism, Lang Ea’s sculptures draw viewers into a contemplative space where personal and collective experiences intersect. The familiar shape of the water droplet becomes a universal symbol through which questions of identity, belonging and coexistence can be explored.

Artist Bio

Lang Ea is an award winning Cambodian-born, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland-based sculptor and multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores themes of memory, displacement, conflict, and human resilience. Having fled Cambodia with her family following the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime and later settling in Aotearoa New Zealand, Ea draws on personal experiences of migration and historical trauma to create powerful sculptural and installation works that resonate on both personal and universal levels. She was the receiver of the Premier Award with the RT Nelson Sculpture Awards in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2025 has exhibited extensively throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and the United States. Ea has also participated in prestigious international residencies including Art Omi International Artists Residency and MASS MoCA.