中文版 - Chinese version      

Artist list

Xi Chen, Yanyi Dai, Gantea, Luran Huang, He Jing, Anqi Li, Weiyi Li, Yi Li, Xiao Liu, Xiaoqi Liu, Thanh-Truc Nguyen, Ningsi Rui, Fumie Sasakie, Hansel Tai, Fei Teng, Ye Wang, Yihan Wang, Zhipeng Wang, Zixin Wei, Mian Wu, Pei Wu, Xiaoyou Ying, Zhixuan Zeng

Art history constantly addresses the notion of 'holes', though it employs fewer summarizes and comparative analyses. A notable illustration of this is found in the Dunhuang piercing-and-powdering paintings of the Han and Tang Dynasties of ancient China. This technique involves perforating paper and applying powder to cave walls, serving as a form of reprography. Marco Polo later introduced this to Europe through the Silk Road, leading to Italian-style brocade patterning. In this context, the perforations symbolize absence, which, paradoxically, highlights their significance. In the Atlantic Manuscript, Leonardo da Vinci compared the human eye to a small dark container, displaying pinhole images and proposing that this limited space could profoundly encapsulate all the images of the universe. Five centuries later, Roland Barthes analysed photography from the perspective of punctum points. In his book La Chambre Claire(Camera Lucida, 1981), he employed the Latin term ‘punctum’ (a thorn or tiny hole) to convey image clarity. This punctum serves as a catalyst for awakening, providing shock, insight, and a transient sense of void. In 1977, Rosalyn Krauss remarked on her publication, Passages in Modern Sculpture, emphasizing the importance of open space within modern sculpture and contemplating a transformative journey across time.

How can those experiences be reinterpreted in the project The Hole? The Taoist principles that "everything under the sun originates from existence, and existence arises from nothing" act as both the theoretical underpinning and the practical framework for this endeavour. Approximately 30 professional artists, primarily with backgrounds in jewellery arts or visual arts, were invited to participate. They acknowledged the openness and flexibility that the invitation represented. Their responses varied: some decided to leave a blank space for fresh ideas to surface, while others chose to explore the temporal and spatial dimensions, engaging in their own artistic practices within and beyond the historical context. Few examples brief follow.


Ye Wang: The artist has created a long chain made of white opal beads arranged in a spiral. The individual beads are closely linked, but when someone interacts with them, he or she creates negative spaces between the beads. This means that while the artwork doesn’t specify how to wear it, it encourages engagement, revealing its secrets. As an individual engages with the piece, manipulating the beads through stretching or twisting, they grasp its functionality, including its virtual configuration and constraints. This engagement allows them to perceive the profound significance of the 'necklace' as a symbol of an alternate reality. In this context, the underlying concept of creation takes precedence, while the manner in which it is worn holds second priority. It becomes evident that when external influences are eliminated, the beads will shift to their original state. The interplay between the unseen and the seen, as well as absence and presence, evolves in tandem, signifying the (spiral-shaped) evolutionary nature of the universe.

Weiyi Li: As a conceptual artist, Weiyi creates ‘bead chains’ using virtual images to express her out-of-the-box thoughts and perceptions. During the project's open call and public submission phase, she was inspired by the idea of 'trajectories of movement', imagining a line of beads on a timeline. She made GIFs that enable looping and layering in different dimensions. She adds that: this sphere, as far as our eyes can perceive, is also a bead, and it is our body - the necessity of navigating human perception - that connects each moment to a bead chain of life. For many viewers, grasping the connection between 'a bead' and the imaginary 'chain of beads' and recognizing its significance may pose a challenge. Undoubtedly, powerful artworks elicit a tremendous sense of perception that is both confusing and intriguing.

Xiao Liu: In this exhibition, the artist showcases one older work alongside two current creations. The term 'old' for the single piece not only refers to its age but also links it to its inspiration - the traditional jade coverings that protected the faces of the deceased from the Western Zhou to Han Dynasty (c. 1046 BC - 220 AD). These historical artifacts imbue the work with additional layers of significance. However, in contrast to the original jade coverings, which were designed to protect the facial features (negative space of the face) and safeguard the soul, the artist employs contemporary materials by repurposing plastic shopping bags into forms reminiscent of jade. This transformation aims to convert the concept of incorruptibility into an idealized crystallization. As the contemporary context evolves, the cultural significance of these ritual objects is intentionally diminished. PVC crystals or jades, while reminiscent of jade coverings/masks, detach from their original contexts, creating a sense of emptiness. This raises a modern question: what lies behind the Jade Mask? A real face, or another hollow facade? (Extended associations: Photoshopping, Plastic Surgery, Filters, AI Deepfake, The Truman Show, etc.)

Fumie Sasaki (JP): A collection artist tailored for the exhibition furthers her exploration of silhouettes while introducing a significant concept in Japanese culture: '間/MA'. This character, akin to a traditional Chinese character, merges '門(gate)' and '日(sunlight)', suggesting that an empty doorway symbolizes purity and openness, facilitating the flow of light and air. Consequently, '間/Ma' embodies more than mere emptiness; it evokes silence, void, and tranquillity. Sasaki embodies the conceptual idea of the 'gate' within the spatial context through a simple yet powerful language. By selecting the fragile material - pearl shell, she provides the audience with a refreshing experience that gently and enchantingly transcends the material realm. . Although '間/Ma's essence can be sensed, articulating it in texts proves challenging. To elucidate this concept, one might reference Matsuo Bashō 's Zen-influenced haiku (poem): 'In the plum blossom scent, the sun pops out, like a mountain path,' which illustrates a space where the subject has vanished yet retains a presence, rendering the entire world increasingly vacant.Therefore, audiences are naturally expected to observe, feel, and interpret these works from the beginning. In an era saturated with excessive information, the preservation of aura - a force that invites people to pause and appreciate '間/Ma' - up to the viewers.

Fei Teng: In the dual role of academic advisor for this exhibition and as a participating artist, the individual perceives 'remaking' as a means to honour the past while simultaneously embracing the future. This perspective reflects a deep awareness of temporal and contextual dimensions. The concept of remaking arises from the artist's profound insight, revealing the intrinsic emptiness of a simple bamboo branch sourced from her garden. When instinct transitions into thoughtful consideration and reflection inspires action, this emptiness transforms into a 'functional' component that connects a fractured wine glass with a damaged fly swatter. As a result, these two broken items are restored, and the process of remaking instils a sense of rejuvenation. This act of restoration presents a valuable opportunity for both physical and psychological healing, creating a calming experience. In this context, one may recall Matsuo Bashō's haiku collection, Narrow Road to The Interior - a subtle, meandering journey that imparts wisdom, marked by its direct and hollow cadence - an artistic expression that encapsulates pure simplicity and profound spiritual beauty, linking all to the mind, to wonders, and to the unending flow of time.

Thanh-Truc Nguyen (DE): Thanh is an artist with a solid educational background in industrial design. She draws inspiration from surreal imagery that produces extraordinary visual effects. As a result, her artistic path is deeply intertwined with her fascination with Op Art and Digital Visions. For her, the surreal landscape represents a domain where materiality is dissolved and material properties are liberated. Her works, employing cutting-edge technologies, showcase complex lines and designs that clearly differentiate between the physical and the abstract, as well as the inner and outer realms. This form of artistic expression, however, goes beyond binary opposition, fostering solids while welcoming voids, merging the intangible with the tangible. As the delicate lines flow elegantly throughout the composition, they merge into the floating of ideas and energy, the internalization and externalization of art. Therefore, explorations such as Thanh's offer significant insights: in the digital era, it is essential to develop an understanding and mastery of the relationship between reality and illusion to enhance one's emotional and intellectual experience.

Anqi Li: As a professional jewellery artist, Anqi is deeply engaged in the study of the jewellery industry and its societal implications. Recently, she has developed a keen interest in leftover jade pieces that feature holes, which are often regarded as waste in manufacturing settings. This intrigue underscores her sensitivity (boundary awareness) of overlooked materials. How can we interpret these discarded objects? Rather than viewing them through the lens of so-called material upcycling or sustainability, Anqi's innovative perspective uncovers a more profound societal commentary: do these gaps (holes) reflect our daily experiences? This viewpoint recognizes the inherent unpredictability of things while proposing an alternative method - utilizing these gaps to gain recognition. In other words, it encourages concept recontextualization by deconstructing history. This raises a fundamental question in art creation: what constitutes originality, and does it really exist? As someone once said: If originality exists, it likely resides in re-creation.

The idea of remaking forms the core theme of the project. While collaborating with professionals, the initiative also encouraged public participation, fostering a space for dialogue that supported re-creation. The outcomes of these collaborations varied widely, ranging from adherence to the original to divergence, and from acknowledgment to disintegration. These interactions enabled participants to access the momentum of creativity - the very essence of art. This internal framework aligns well with Thanh's artistic vision: merging the imaginary with the real and uncovering hidden meanings related to cultural shifts. Artistic reinterpretation broadens the approach to art, allowing it to connect deeply and have a wide influence on its audience.

Exploring the notion of emptiness/nothingness involves being open, and allowing people to blend into the world around them. When viewed through the lens of nothingness, objects are liberated from uniformity. This fosters remarkable diversity and interaction, helping people cultivate acceptance and empathy.

The exhibition features nearly 30 artists and over 70 public participants from an open call, showcasing around 80 artworks. These pieces are presented to the audience in both physical and virtual formats. Fei Teng, the exhibition's academic advisor, noted that the exhibition serves as a reference point whose significance will grow over time.