It looks like the poster for a suspense film—a sweep of arching red velvet curtains cascading into the frame from beyond, extending downward. The formally dressed man is shown only halfway—nothing is complete—including the exhibition title, Manque, Objet Petit ‘a’.
On August 19, 2024, Huiyu Lan curated an exhibition titled Manque, Objet Petit ‘a’ at the Greatorex Street Gallery. Huiyu Lan organized and brought together 13 artists with diverse backgrounds: Albie Romero, Casper Dillen, Debra Pollarini, Filippo Antonello, Hiromi Murai, Max King, Mingyue Feng, Penghang Liu, Sara Shishkova, Shuyu Wen, Xinde Ren, Yinuo Li, and Yijia Wu.
The exhibition title Manque, Objet Petit ‘a’ is derived from Jacques Lacan’s writings in Écrits and his Séminaire, where he discusses the concept of “lack” (Manque) and its connection to desire.
Lacan views “lack” as a core concept in shaping human subjectivity and as the driving force of desire. In his psychoanalytic theory, “lack” is not merely a subjective feeling but an inherent structural condition. It is not just an occasional or superficial emotion (such as a temporary sense of dissatisfaction), but rather a permanent structural void within the subject.
“Le désir est la relation de l’être à un manque.”
“Desire is the relationship between ‘being’ and ‘lack’.”
Regarding the exhibition title, Lan explains: “It describes the deep-seated sense of ‘lack’ in the human psyche, along with the symbolic object of unattainable desire, known as ‘objet petit a’; it is not a tangible item but a symbolic substitute that represents our yearning for a lost, original wholeness. In Lacan’s theory, this sense of lack is central to human existence. This inherent emptiness and state of desire drive people to continually seek fulfillments—attempting to fill the void within themselves, whether spiritually, materially, or emotionally. Confronting this fundamental lack and desire within human nature is a crucial step in the pursuit of wholeness.”
At the entrance to the space stands a wooden installation, titled Bed (Summer Losses) (2023), by Penghang Liu. A faint, mysterious light emanates from behind a prominent circular opening on the wooden panel, reminiscent of an idea or inspiration emerging from behind a bed’s headboard, gradually peeking through the hole. “Exploring the inner world of the individual has always been central to my art—from memory to the subconscious, from past events to those that continue to affect us,” Liu explain.
Upon entering the exhibition space, the first thing that catches the eye is a giant, hanging red velvet installation, appearing even more mysterious than on the promotional poster. The entire exhibition is dominated by red, a colour choice intended to evoke desire through visual stimulation, emotional associations, and primal instincts. From an evolutionary perspective, red is often linked to warning signals and reproductive states in the natural world. The work, titled Internal Tears (2024), embodies this curatorial intent, aiming to reflect and resonate with Lacan’s notion of desire as an intrinsic, structural condition. No one can remain indifferent to the emotional impact red invokes.
Xinde Ren created a short story with her imagination to accompany the piece: “As the protagonist approaches a state of eternal peace, she struggles against the fading of her emotions, born from a flood of blood only to be diluted in waves of information. Sadly, the loss of love brings with it a sense of defeat.” In this work, the artist reflects on the paradox between immortality and the desire for connection, shifting the focus from an endless external pursuit to a deepened attention to inner emotions.
The largest abstract painting on the right, in deep purple, covers the entire wall. Titled Oggetto6 (2023), this work is by Swiss artist Filippo Antonello. The artist applies bleach, producing a searing, transformative effect on cotton fabric, creating a new material composition. The result is a massive high-pitched symbol, subtly drifting between dark brown shadows. The symbol seems poised to disappear at any moment, as the thick canvas gently rises and falls in the play of light and shadow. The delicate layers whisper around the viewer’s gaze, evoking an indescribable depth and trance-like state. It appears to symbolize a sense of “loss” — perhaps an elusive moment or an invisible object that the artist is trying to capture, metaphorically representing humanity’s yearning for some ultimate fulfillment. Yet, this desire can only approach, never fully touched.
In front of Oggetto6, three wooden installation pieces by Greek artist Sara Shishkova are displayed under the title Navel Gazers (Self-Indulgents). These installations resemble tools of exotic creatures, their surfaces glazed with a shiny ceramic coating. A large, refurbished old door lies in the center of the space, with two black ceramic hearts placed on the door panel. Beneath the door, a book titled Tales of Love is faintly visible. Upon closer inspection, a dark gap appears to have been scorched into the back of the tool, as if marked by flames. The traces of time form a narrative rupture, and the curator intentionally scattered these objects around the space, pairing them with Oggetto6 to create a static composition, evoking a dramatic, ritualistic atmosphere. This arrangement inevitably sparks the question: How did the ancient stories begin?
Manque, Objet petite ‘a’, installation shot.
On the left side of this corner are two abstract paintings painted by Italian artist Debra Pollarini placed together. There is emotion underneath the chaotic surface, with dark yellow and jumping colors subtly blended together. Next are woodblock prints by Spanish artist Albie Romero. His work stems from his Catholic upbringing. The oil painting Idolatry(2023) was inspired by his seeing the statue of Jesus holding the Sacred Heart in a cemetery, and he was deeply touched by people’s questioning of life, death and the unknown.
On the opening night, performance artist Casper Dillen organised a “date” happening titled Are We Still Friends? (2024). He invited several singles to participate in the exhibition and provided them with different “signals”: red socks, a watch on the left hand, a toothbrush, or a flower. On the day of the opening, participants used these symbolic items to find their potential partners. This work cleverly explores the relationship between absence and fulfilment, filled with associations and explorations of the unknown. On the opening night, one of the performers improvised and interacted with Mingyue Feng’s installation FLUX (2023). On a slender steel frame and transparent acrylic panel, a candle continuously burns itself, causing the center of gravity to sway. The performer dips a toothbrush into the dripping wax and brushes it over the teeth. Viewers stopped whispering, feeling nervous due to the performance.
The wax from these candles seems to drip onto Hiromi Murai’s encaustic painting Untitled (2024), where the artist expresses a longing for the source: “We need to return to the source, though the nature of this source is uncertain.” In the painting, rib-like undulations accumulate, with faintly visible blood vessels growing freely. Perhaps the thoughts, constantly pulsing beneath the surface, are gradually slowing down, moving toward a quiet and bright environment. This is reflected in Hiromi Murai’s other piece, Towards the serene and luminous place above (2024). In the painting, a dove appears as a sacred symbol. In Christianity, the dove represents the Holy Spirit and love. Amidst the micro-dunes of mineral pigments and dried flowers, it searches for a perfect homecoming.
Untitled (2024) by Hiromi Murai
The gaze follows Xinde Ren’s towering red installation upward to the space above—two abstractly simplified steel guns suspended in the air, their barrels aimed directly at each other. This is Regret (2024) by Shuyu Wen, creates dramatic tension, inviting the audience to become “witnesses” to this life-and-death game. Echoing this work is Votive Watching (2022) by British artist Max King. The material above the red box is a coffin handle with exquisite craftsmanship. Both works attempt to depict an individual’s reflection and self-examination of death.
Another corner is composed of the oil painting and a set of installation, Disclosure and Self-Violation (2023), by Yinuo Li. She attempts to translate abstract sensory experiences into concrete expressions on the canvas. Yijia Wu’s trio of works — A Pear is not a Pair (2023), Ladder (2023), and Chair—home puzzle (2023) — are thoughtfully composed into a complete scene. A Pear is not a Pair is a pear-shaped sculpture carved by hand from gypsum, featuring a pear stem made from a vintage spoon. In the artist’s culture, sharing a pear is believed to lead to separation, as the words “pear” and “separation” sound similar in Chinese. The artist uses durable, lasting stone to create a contradictory symbol that reflects humanity’s deep yearning for emotional connection, and the inevitable feeling of separation that can never be completely bridged.
Lacan believed that once humans enter the language system (the symbolic order), they inevitably experience a separation from the absolute completeness of the “real”. Language has its boundaries and can never fully convey the entirety of the real; therefore, when we express ourselves and construct our identities through language, an irreparable void is left within us. This absence forms a permanent blank in the structure of the subject. The exhibition aims to transcend the limitations of language by constructing a multisensory experience through light, scent, sound, and the dialogue between the works, responding to the themes explored and seeking expressions beyond language.
The curator, Huiyu Lan, presents a delicate yet tension-filled scenography, creating a dramatic spatial composition. This approach is rooted in her deep engagement with theatrical stage arts over the past decade. The exhibition Manque, Objet petite ‘a’ seems to pursue a sense of unreality. This “unreality” vividly sketches the visual embodiment of Lacan’s theory of desire, inviting the audience into an abstract sensory experience, where the feeling of absence is perceived as an eternal presence within the human psyche.
Manque, O bjet petite ‘a’, installation shot.
它看起來像是一部懸疑電影的海報，一席拱形的紅色天鵝絨幕布從畫面之外傾瀉而下，延展至最下方。一名身穿正式服裝的男子也只露出了一半的身體——沒有一處是完整的——包括展覽的標題，《空缺，慾望「a」 (Manque, Objet Petit ‘a’) 》。
2024年8月19日，策展人蘭蕙語在著名藝術空間 Greatorex Street Gallery 發起並組織了一場展覽，邀請了13位來自不同背景的藝術家參展，包括阿爾比·羅梅羅 (Albie Romero) , 卡斯帕·迪倫 (Casper Dillen), 黛布拉·波拉里尼 (Debra Pollarini), 菲利波·安託內羅 (Filippo Antonello), Hiromi Murai, 馬克斯·金 (Max King), 馮銘越, 劉鵬航，薩拉·希什科娃 (Sara Shishkova), 溫舒喻 (Shuyu Wen)，任心得 (Xinde Ren)， 李一諾 (Yinuo Li)，吳釴佳 (Yijia Wu)。
展覽名稱 《空缺，慾望「a」(Manque, Objet Petit ‘a’) 》源自法國精神分析學家雅克·拉康（Jacques Lacan）的著作《書寫（Écrits）》和他的講座系列《Séminaire（研討班）》中的討論。他在這些著作中討論了「缺失 (法語：Manque)」的概念及其與慾望之間的聯繫。
拉康認為「缺失」是塑造人類主體性的重要概念，也是慾望的驅動力。在他的精神分析理論中，「缺失」並非只是一種主觀上的感受，而是一種內在的結構性狀態。這並不是一種偶然的或表面的情緒 (例如短暫的不滿)，而是一種內在的、永久的空缺，存在於人的內心深處。
「慾望是『存在』與『缺失』之間的關係。(Le désir est la relation de l’être à un manque. )」
關於展覽的標題，策展人蘭蕙語是這麼解釋的：「這描述了人類心理中深層的『缺失』感，以及象徵著不可獲得的慾望對象，它被稱為『小客體 a (objet petit a)』。這並非具體的實物，而是一種象徵性的替代品，代表我們對於那種已經失去的原始完整性的渴望。在拉康的理論中，這種『缺失』是人類存在的核心，它所帶來的慾望促使人們不斷尋求滿足–無論是精神上的、物質上的，還是情感上的。然而，直面這一根本性的缺失與慾望，是追求自我圓滿的關鍵一步。」
在展覽空間的入口處，矗立的是藝術家劉鵬航的木質裝置作品《床 (夏之逝) (Bed (Summer Losses))》(2023)。從木板上一個醒目的圓形開口後方散發出微弱而神秘的光芒，彷彿靈感或念頭從床頭板的後面逐漸浮現，穿透洞口。對於這件作品，藝術家解釋道：「這個系列以床的概念為基礎——不僅僅是一件傢具。作為睡覺的地方，床將現實與夢境區分開來。床可以成為一種介於這兩個世界之間的媒介。探索個體的內心世界一直是我藝術創作的核心——從記憶到潛意識，從過去的事件到那些持續影響我們的經歷。」
Manque, Objet petite ‘a’, installation shot. Bed (Summer Losses)(2023) by Liu Penghang.
在進入展覽空間後，首先映入眼簾的是一席巨大的懸掛式紅色絲絨裝置。它比宣傳海報上看起來更加神秘。整個展覽被紅色主導，這種色彩選擇旨在通過視覺刺激、情感聯想和原始本能來喚起慾望。從進化的角度來看，紅色在自然界中通常與警告信號和生殖狀態相關聯。這件名為《內在之淚（Internal Tears) 》(2024)的作品體現了這一策展意圖，嘗試去回應拉康對「慾望」 作為一種內在結、構性狀態的觀點。沒有人能對紅色所喚起的內心感受無動於衷。
藝術家任心得以她的想像力創作了一個短篇故事，為這件作品增添了意境：「當主角邁向永恆和平的狀態時，她卻為自己情感的消逝而掙扎。這些情感起源於血液的湧流，卻最終被信息的浪潮沖淡。遺憾的是，愛的失落帶來了一種挫敗感。」 在這件作品中，藝術家思考了永生與連結慾望之間的悖論，逐漸將焦點從對外在無窮無盡的追求，轉向對內在情感的關注。
Internal Tears (2024) by Xinde Ren
展廳右側是一幅深紫色的大尺幅抽象畫《Oggetto6》(2023)。這件覆蓋了整面牆的作品來自瑞士藝術家菲利普·安東內洛（Filippo Antonello）。藝術家運用漂白劑在棉布上進行創作，產生了一種灼燒般的轉化效果，創造出一種全新的材質組合。最終畫布上呈現出一個巨大而醒目的符號，若隱若現地漂浮於深褐色的陰影之間。這個符號彷彿隨時都要消失，隨著厚重的畫布在光影中微微起伏。細膩的層次圍繞著觀眾的目光輕聲低語，營造出一種難以言喻的深沈和恍惚。這似乎象徵著一種「失落感」——也許是某個難以捉摸的瞬間，或是藝術家試圖捕捉的一個無形之物。它隱喻了人類對某種終極滿足的渴望。然而，這種渴望只能不斷接近，卻永遠無法真正觸及。
《Oggetto6》的前方展示了來自希臘藝術家薩拉·希什科娃 (Sara Shishkova) 的三件木質裝置作品《自我沈溺者 (Self-Indulgents (Navel Gazers))》。這些裝置看起來像是異域生物的器具，表面覆蓋著一層閃亮的陶釉。一扇巨大的翻新木板門躺在地上，門板上擺放著兩顆黑色陶瓷心臟。而門板下方，可以隱約看到一本名為《愛的故事 (Tales of Love) 》的書。仔細觀察後可以發現，器皿背後似乎被燒灼出了一道深色裂縫，徬彿被火焰留下了痕跡。時間的痕跡在此形成了敘事的斷層，而策展人特意將這些器皿散落在場地四周，與作品 《Oggetto6》配合構成了一組靜態的畫面，營造出一種戲劇故事感，激發遐想。這樣的佈置不可避免地引發了一個問題：這古老的故事是如何開始的？
在這個角落的左側，並排放置了意大利藝術家德布拉·波拉里尼（Debra Pollarini）的兩幅抽象畫。在看似混亂的表面之下隱藏著情感，深黃色與跳躍的色彩巧妙地融合在一起。接著是西班牙藝術家阿爾比·羅梅羅（Albie Romero）的木刻版畫。他的作品來源於其天主教的成長背景。油畫《偶像崇拜 (Idolatry)》 (2023) 的靈感來自他在一座墓地中看到耶穌手持聖心雕像時的感受。這一經歷令他深受觸動，特別是人們對生命、死亡與未知的追問。
在開幕之夜，行為藝術家卡斯帕·迪倫（Casper Dillen）舉辦了一場名為《我們還是朋友嗎？(Are We Still Friends?)》(2024) 的「約會」事件。他邀請了幾位單身人士參與展覽，並為他們提供了不同的「暗號物品」：紅色襪子、戴在左手的手錶、一把牙刷或一朵花。在開幕當天，參與者利用這些象徵性的物品尋找潛在的伴侶。這件作品巧妙地探索了「缺席」與「滿足」之間的關係，充滿了對未知的聯想與探索。
當晚，一位表演者即興創作，與馮銘越的裝置作品《流變 (FLUX)》(2023)展開互動。在纖細的鋼架和透明的壓克力板上，一根蠟燭持續燃燒，令裝置重心來回搖擺。表演者將牙刷浸入滴落的蠟液中，然後刷過自己的牙齒。圍觀的人紛紛停止竊竊私語，緊張的情緒被悄然挑動。
Performance at the exhibition opening.
這些蠟燭的蠟液彷彿滴落在Hiromi Murai的蠟畫作品《無題 (Untitled) 》(2024) 上。在這件作品中，藝術家表達了對源頭的渴望：「我們需要回到源頭，雖然無法確定這個源頭是什麼。」畫中滴蠟沈積起伏層層堆疊，形如肋骨，隱約可見的「淡紅色血管」幽然蔓延。或許，那些在表面下不斷跳動的思緒正逐漸放緩，朝向一個安靜而明亮的環境前行。這一主題也體現在Hiromi Murai的另一件作品《朝向上方寧靜而明亮之處 (Towards the serene and luminous place above) 》(2024) 中。在這幅畫中，鴿子作為神聖的象徵出現。在基督教中，鴿子代表聖靈與愛。在岩彩和乾花構成的微型沙丘之間，它尋找著一個完美的歸宿。
視線順著任心得那高聳的紅色裝置向上延伸，來到空間的上方——兩把抽象化的鋼製槍懸掛在空中，槍口都對準了彼此。這是藝術家溫舒喻的作品《悔恨 (Regret) 》(2024)，營造出一種緊張的戲劇張力，觀眾徬彿都成為了這場生死遊戲中的「目擊證人」。與之呼應的是英國藝術家馬克斯·金（Max King）於2022年創作的作品《祈願凝視 (Votive Watching) 》。紅色盒子上方安置了一個工藝精美的棺材把手，散發出莊嚴與深沉的氣息。這兩件作品共同探索了個體對死亡的反思與自我審視。
展廳的另一個角落呈現了一幅油畫和一組裝置。李一諾的《揭示與自我侵犯 (Disclosure and Self-Violation) 》(2023) 試圖將抽象的感官體驗轉化為畫布上的具體表達。吳釴佳的一組三件作品《梨非一對 (A Pear is not a pair) 》(2023) 、《Ladder (梯子) 》(2023) 和《Chair—home puzzle (椅子——家的拼圖)》(2023) 精心組合成一個完整的場景。《梨非一對》是一件由手工雕刻而成的梨形石膏雕塑，梨柄由一把復古湯匙製成。在中國文化中，共享一個梨被認為會導致分離，因為「梨」與「離」在中文發音上相似。藝術家選擇堅固持久的石材創造出一個充滿矛盾的象徵，既反映了人類對情感聯繫的深切渴望，又展現了分離這種無法跨越的必然感受。
拉康認為，人類一旦進入語言系統 (即符號秩序)，便不可避免地與「真實界」的絕對完整性產生分離。語言有其界限，無法完全傳達「真實」的全貌。因此，當我們通過語言表達自己並構建身份時，內心會留下一個無法彌補的空缺。這種缺失在主體結構中形成了一個永久性的空白。此次展覽旨在超越語言的局限，通過光線、氣味、聲音以及作品之間的對話構建出一個多感官的體驗，以回應主題中的思考並探尋語言之外的表達方式。
策展人蘭蕙語以細膩而充滿張力的場景構建，呈現出一幅極具戲劇性的空間畫面。這種手法源於她過去十年深耕戲劇舞台藝術的經驗積累。展覽《缺失，慾望「a」》試圖捕捉一種不真實的感受。這種「不真實」生動地勾勒出拉康慾望理論的視覺化形態，邀請觀眾進入一場抽象的感官體驗。在這裡，缺失感被感知為人類內心深處一種永恆的存在。
