Capsule, a new gallery in the heart of Shanghai's Former French Concession, is pleased to announce its inaugural exhibition When We Become Us, on view from 15 October to 27 November. The exhibition features eight international artists working across several mediums. Each artist and their respective works have been selected for the poetic nature in which they, at times share an affinity in intent and expression, while in other instances are clearly diametrically divergent. The artists include Alice Wang, Feng Chen, Yingmei Duan, Katarzyna Kozyra, Sarah Faux, Doron Langberg, Hai-Hsin Huang, and Pixy Liao.
Collectively, the works invite us to investigate the question of how we, as viewers, approach art and what kind of catalysts are used to shape a sense of Self in relation to the Other. Consider what happens when the nature of our relationship to the work changes from a subjective to an objective reaction–is this the instant when We become Us with the artwork itself? Can this shift from subjectivity to objectivity turn our experience into something more meaningful?
LA-based artist Alice Wang (b. 1983, Xi'an, China) employs technology to explore shifts of perception in time and space. Wang's work invites us, through our own observation, to stretch and reframe the boundaries of these elements. In the video Untitled, 2014 the physical exertion that an inversion yoga pose requires, highlights the laws of physics that govern the universe in such a way as to challenge our understanding of buoyancy and gravity. The installation Untitled, 2014, combines advanced science and photography with the mid 19th Century daguerreotype technique to capture images of electrified gas (Plasma) which are printed onto small polished aluminum plates. The resulting images are mesmerising primordial-like forms, seemingly floating on a metal surface.
Feng Chen's (b. 1986, Wuhan, China) work spans the disciplines of art, engineering and science, intertwined with traditional Eastern aesthetics. Feng's earlier works employed video and video installation to 'question the manipulative power of media'. While later works, influenced by his residency at Amsterdam's Rijksakademie (2014–2015), express a deeper exploration and focus on the process of image making, to the extent that the process of making the video becomes a narrative and the artwork itself. S-1, 2016 and S-2, 2016 experiment with thermal ink, as images slowly materialize out of 'nothingness', only to disappear and reappear. His current series, '7 Real Magic Books', 2016, employs carbon fibre as a sculptural expression of images taken from ancient texts and artifacts such as The Tao and The Greek Papyri. Here, Feng uses contemporary technology in the characteristically light, but tensile carbon fibre to introduce a discussion about an ancient type of technology and magic, both of which are heavily charged subjects.
While questioning our role in time and space, the discourse often shifts to embrace topics related to gender, identity and everyday behavior.
Press release courtesy Capsule Shanghai.
1st Floor, Building 16
Anfu Lu 275 Nong
Xuhui District
200031, Shanghai
China
www.capsuleshanghai.com
+86 021 64170700
The gallery is open by appointment only until further notice.
Tuesday – Saturday
10am – 6pm