Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Ting Möller

Hi Anna Ting, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

Over a decade ago I started tracing my heritage and personal arc of migration, spending years searching for my birth mother. The Chinese philosopher Laozi said: “All things go back to their origin”… at the time this became a catalyst for my studio practice. During one journey to China an older woman in the countryside with whom I stayed with gave me a Mother Kombucha in a jar, which I eventually smuggled across the US border, tucked into PET bottles. The kombucha is the same one I continue to nurture and manipulate, to this day in my sculptures,
performances and installations. My studio practice is self-sustaining and regenerative in its materiality. A way to democratize power and a way of working as a means with which to exercise artistic freedom from capitalistic structures of artistic production; it is also a crucial way of exploring an alternative way of understanding the symbolic function of the mother in creative processes.

My work explores allegories linked to kombucha—as a mother, offspring, caregiver,
contaminant, and even parasite—hinging on the necessity of continuous care.
Conceptually, it is important for me to work with one kombucha mother, creating a lineage of offspring based on a matrilineal “ legacy of knowing”. The kombucha culture ferments in a vat, using tea and sugar, a form of domestication. In theory, it is possible to return the ‘sculpture’ to the culture. However, the risk of contamination is extremely high. The method expands on the relationship between mother and child, representing an intimidating collapse in the distinction between self and other.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

“My work is alive.”
But in what way does it live?
Though it does not move, it occupies a unique space—one that defies easy categorization between living and non-living entities. At the core of this project lies the kombucha culture, a living organism that reproduces asexually and exhibits a form of self-creation beyond human experience. This non-human propagation intertwines with human activities, particularly regarding kombucha as a cultural object, a health drink. In this way, the work bridges, and brings up questions regarding nature and culture.

The concept of “imminent development” is pondered upon in my practice. By closely observing how materials evolve over time, I navigate the tension between domination and submission. A challenge arises as I grapple with the question: Can the artwork emerge naturally from the material itself without imposing external structures? —-Yet, I am keenly aware that I may be suppressing the material’s inherent potential to evolve on its own terms.
Furthermore, my exploration through sculpture and performance addresses the temporal aspects of life and growth in a spatial manner. These works resist a fixed or linear sense of time, challenging the glorification of time itself. This invites critical reflection on temporality and raises questions about the evolution of material, art, and life, emphasizing the inherent obstacles in allowing a genuine, organic process to unfold.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I am an interdisciplinary installation artist based in New York City, and my work explores the intersections of materiality, transformation, and bodily processes. I often incorporate kombucha cultures to create ephemeral sculptures that challenge conventional notions of life, death, and lineage. Focusing on themes such as the sexualized and grotesque, my work critiques societal constructs, particularly the fetishization of the Other. My work embraces collaboration and performance, integrating sound, movement, and space to create immersive, dynamic experiences that evolve over time.

What were you like growing up?

I grew up in Växjö, in Småland, in the south of Sweden. As a child, it was an ideal environment, with the closeness to nature fostering a rich creative world and a vibrant imagination. However, as a teenager, I found it less stimulating due to its limited resources and somewhat narrow worldview, which ultimately led to my escape as a 19-year-old. Since then, I have lived in major cities like London, Beijing, and now New York.

Despite these exciting experiences, I miss that natural setting a lot now, as I don’t get to spend as much time in nature.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annatingmoller.com
• Instagram: annatingmoller

Image Credits

Photographer: Elisheva Gavra