A work by Annette Marie Townsend was included in Root & Branch, an international postcard exchange project presented as part of Wish You Well at Karin Weber Gallery, Hong Kong. Developed by artists Wai Kit Lam and Linda Norris during the COVID-19 lockdowns and supported by Wales Arts International, the project brought together more than forty artists from around the world, each invited to respond to the theme of trees, plants and connection through a postcard-sized artwork.
Invited by Linda Norris to participate, Townsend transformed the postcard itself into a sculptural object. Beginning with a plain postcard, she added the address in her own handwriting, attached a postage stamp and soaked the card in beeswax before building a relief composition of leaves and flowers across its surface. The resulting work retained traces of postal communication while extending beyond the conventional format of a postcard.
Presented alongside contributions from artists across Wales, Hong Kong and beyond, the work introduced Townsend’s practice to audiences in Hong Kong for the first time. The postcard was subsequently acquired during the exhibition.
