A London-based curator Yan Xie, is known for her commitment to engaging diverse communities through participatory art. With a keen interest in the transformative power of artistic expression, Yan Xie delves into the complexities of personal and collective experiences through her curated exhibitions. Recently, she has turned her focus to more specialised areas, including the therapeutic potential of artwork, such as soft sculpture and immersive installations. Additionally, Yan Xie explores the intricate relationship between desires and individual actions, aiming to provoke introspection and dialogue through her innovative curatorial practices. In these two exhibitions “In the midst of Melting Garden” and “Down to the Sunless Sea” which have just come to an end, we can see that Yan Xie is putting her ideas into practice. Her approach not only challenges conventional boundaries in art but also invites audiences to reconsider their understanding of self-expression and its broader societal impact.
In “Down to the Sunless Sea“, Xie attempted to use Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s theories as a benchmark to discuss the formation and evolution of desires, as well as to unearth those desires that are hidden deep inside. The exhibition highlights the crucial role of sensory perception in shaping our desires. Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy posits that desires are not merely abstract or intellectual constructs but are deeply embedded in our sensory experiences. This perspective offers a compelling framework for understanding how our bodily experiences mediate and express our desires. Xie personally aims to de-stigmatise desire and explore how it can be used as a motivation, as well as a cultural and social construct.
The exhibition underscores that desires are dynamic and continuously evolving, originating from both consciousness and subconsciousness. These desires are expressed through behaviours, metaphorically depicted as a journey ‘down to the sunless sea‘, capturing hidden desire. The exhibition explores the process of redefining desires in contemporary society, examining the influence of emerging values and cultural trends on how individuals conceptualise and redefine their desires amidst societal transformations.
Emilie Houldsworth, The False Mirror, 2023, sublimation printed velvet, wadding, mild steel, plywood, screws, 120 × 140 cm.
The oversized velvet installation The False Mirror(2023) at the entrance is made by Emilie Houldsworth, who is noted for her exploration of colour, language, and dimensionality within abstracted upholstered contexts. Her work challenges perceptual boundaries, exploring desires for beauty, order, and meaning in visual art. Houldsworth employs intricate patterns and materials to evoke complex emotional responses from viewers. The collision of mild steel and velvet creates a palpable tension, akin to a wave that submerge the observer. The interplay of grey and dark red upholstery suggests a profound undercurrent of buried desires, poised to surface at any moment.
Stella Arion, GARDENS of LOVE. Study two., 2023, black stoneware, white porcelain, black porcelain, glazes, 28 × 32 × 37 cm.
The sculpture Gardens of Love. Study two. (2023) at the centre of the gallery challenges conventional perceptions of beauty and ugliness by intertwining them as intrinsic facets of life and death. Her sculptures reflect on the delicate balance between sharpness and fragility, darkness and light, drawing from personal experiences such as witnessing her grandfather’s terminal illness. Through this exploration, Stella Arion aims to evoke deep emotional responses from viewers, inviting them to reflect on their own perceptions of beauty and mortality as fundamental desires of human existence.
The exhibition interprets desire in a non-traditional style, pointing out that desire is not always explicit. Some indescribable and imperceptible desires, such as these cool toned paintings, rugged installations, and abstract symbols, subvert the audience’s perception and reshape their understanding of desire and their new perspectives on desire. These works allow the audience to glimpse the diversity of human desires and the various ways in which desires are expressed. The exhibition successfully navigates complex themes and philosophical concepts with a deeper contextualisation of individual artworks and enhance the engagement of the audience. “Down to the Sunless Sea” is also another continuation and more comprehensive presentation of Yan Xie’s research on philosophy and psychology.
In fact, in early 2023, Yan Xie showed a strong interest in healing art. The exhibition “In the midst of Melting Garden” aims to link softness and healing from an experiment on attachment, using contact comfort as the research theory. It explores how softness can play a role in artistic healing by activating people’s senses. At the same time, the exhibition extends softness to a broader level, freeing it from stereotypical concepts and constructing a multi-sensory softness experience. The garden can be seen as an experimental field, allowing the audience to observe through this lens how participants generate various soft interactions and feedback.
The exhibition witnessed Xie endeavouring to transform the traditional white cube space into a sanctuary for healing and reflection. The exhibition delves into the ephemeral beauty and fragile state of our natural world. Xie’s curatorial approach emphasises healing and reflection, bringing together intricate installations and mixed media pieces that serve as a vibrant meditation on the transient nature of life and human experiences. The exhibition utilises organic materials and vivid colours to create an immersive sensory experience, capturing the cycle of decay and renewal. Xie’s careful selection of works invites viewers to reflect on their relationship with the environment, fostering a sense of interconnectedness and stewardship.
Hannah Archambault, Embalming anger, 2023, Hibiscus, string, stone, dimensions variabled.
One notable artist featured in the exhibition is Hannah Archambault, whose installations and soundscapes challenge our senses and spatial awareness. Her piece, Disassembling the Soil, composed of field recordings and female voices, fills the space with layered sounds that evoke both nostalgia and anxiety, creating a repetitive, languorous ambience that reverberates throughout the gallery. Archambault’s work uses sound to explore themes of grounding and unease, capturing the tension between comfort and disquiet. Another of her pieces, Embalming Anger, uses materials like dry hibiscus flowers and cotton strings to explore themes of resilience, labour, and gender inequality. The tactile nature of her work invites viewers to engage physically, touching and smelling the pieces to understand the transformation of anger into a softer, more reflective state.
Mae Chen, Feifan Hu, Wenjie Yu and Tianai Hu both use soft materials to illustrate intimacy and affection. Each artist, distinct in their approach and background, successfully conveys deep emotional narratives and connections, offering viewers a journey through their works.
Mae Chan, Before I am In Your Arm, 2022, silicone, foam, wool, 25 × 16 × 9 cm.
Mae Chen’s piece Before I am in Your Arm captures a moment of emotional reunion with delicate craftsmanship. The space between the two figures poignantly anticipates their embrace, crafted from soft wool fibre and silicone.
Wenjie Yu, Satisfaction of Oscillation series, 2023, mixed media, 30 × 30cm.
Wenjie Yu’s Satisfaction of Oscillation series are not traditional paintings; instead, they are sewn from fabrics. These works invite introspection into childhood memories and fantasies. Using painting as a medium, Yu explores the inner world of him past self, engaging in a dialogue between his present and childhood selves. This introspective journey delves into the innocence and wonder of childhood, capturing fleeting moments of curiosity and bravery that define personal growth and identity.
Yan Xie emerges as a visionary weaving threads of healing and introspection through her exhibitions. From the immersive depths of “Down to the Sunless Sea” to the tender sanctum of “In the Midst of Melting Garden“, Xie’s curation transcends traditional boundaries to provoke profound reflections on desire, healing, and our interconnectedness with the natural world. Through the delicate interplay of artworks by diverse talent artists like Emilie Houldsworth, Stella Arion, and Hannah Archambault, the exhibitions unfurl as vibrant narratives that challenge perceptions and stir the soul. Xie’s interests of psychology and philosophy is evident in her meticulous curation, where each exhibition serves as a nuanced exploration of human desires and experiences.
Xie’s pursuit of softness as a transformative force resonates throughout, inviting viewers into a sensory odyssey where emotions are stitched into fabric, and echoes of personal journeys resonate with universal truths. As we navigate the gallery’s labyrinthine paths, Xie’s vision emerges clear: art as a catalyst for healing, understanding, and the timeless pursuit of human connection amidst the complexities of modern existence. As we navigate the gallery’s labyrinthine paths, Xie’s vision emerges clear: art as a catalyst for healing, understanding, and the timeless pursuit of human connection amidst the complexities of modern existence.
Portrait of Yan Xie
謝琰：觸感與慾望的非同策展實踐
謝琰，作為一名在倫敦工作和生活的策展人，其主要研究興趣聚焦於參與式藝術和社區藝術，通過社區藝術深入研究了機構與個人之間的權力關係。最近，她將關注點轉向更細分的領域，利用軟雕塑和沉浸式等非常規作品，使柔軟作為一種療癒的力量，探索藝術與療癒相關的更多可能性。此外，她還研究了慾望與個體行為之間的複雜關係，並通過一系列實踐達到「知我」的目的。在剛結束的兩場展覽《在融化的花園之中》和《沉入無日之海》中，她的策展理念得到了充分的實踐。謝琰試圖打破傳統的邊界，還希望觀眾能重新審視當代社會語境下的自我表達和社會理解。
在展覽《沉入無日之海》中，謝琰以莫里斯·梅洛-龐蒂的理論為基準，探討個體慾望複雜多面的領域，並挖掘那些鮮少被提及的慾望。展覽突顯了感官知覺在塑造慾望中的關鍵作用。梅洛-龐蒂認為，慾望作為覺知的一部分，不是抽象或純粹的智識，而是深植於個體對世界的感官體驗裡。通過梅洛-龐蒂身體哲學這一視角，來了解身體體驗是如何調解和表達慾望的。她嘗試為慾望正名，並探討慾望如何作為一種動機，來社會和文化進行構建。
不斷流動的慾望來自於潛意識與意識，但它們往往被降級為「想要」或者「需要」，從社會到個人對慾望的掩蓋，忽視了人們日常的真正感受。標題《沉入無日之海》隱喻了那些鮮少被提及的慾望，展覽希望能重新定義當代社會語境下的慾望，並觀測新興價值觀和文化趨勢下如何影響個人在社會中定義慾望。
展廳入口處的巨型天鵝絨裝置《虛假之鏡》由藝術家艾米莉·霍爾茲沃斯創作，她在作品中嘗試不同顏色、語言和維度的組合，挑戰感知的邊界，並探索對美、秩序和意義的慾望。霍爾茲沃斯常使用複雜的圖案和材料喚起觀眾的情感反應。鋼結構和天鵝絨的碰撞創造了一種張力，置身作品前彷彿被巨浪吞噬。灰、紅色兩種顏色的絲絨暗示著慾望如同暗流，深不見底但又隨時可能爆發。
位於展廳中央的雕塑《愛的花園（二）》由斯特拉·阿里翁創作，它挑戰了美與醜的傳統觀念，將主題延伸致生命與死亡等方面。同時反映了尖銳與脆弱、黑暗與光明之間的微妙平衡，汲取了她自己關於親人病逝的經歷。通過這種探索，阿里翁試圖喚起觀眾的情感反應，邀請他們反思自己對美和死亡這些基本慾望的看法。
展覽以一種非傳統的風格詮釋慾望，指出慾望並非總是顯性的。一些難以言說、不易察覺的慾望，正如這些冷色調的油畫、風格粗獷的裝置和抽象的符號，顛覆了觀眾對慾望的感知，並重新塑造他們對慾望的理解。這些作品讓觀眾得以一窺人類慾望的多樣性以及慾望表現的多種方式。展覽成功地駕馭了複雜的主題和哲學概念，對單件作品進行了更深入的情境化處理，提高了觀眾的參與度。《沉入無日之海》也是謝琰對哲學與心理學研究的又一次延續和更全面的呈現。
其實早在2023初謝琰就展示了療癒藝術的興趣，展覽《在融化的花園之中》將柔軟和療癒相關聯，通過一則依戀實驗，以該實驗的中接觸安慰(contact comfort)為研究理論，思考柔軟如何通過通過激活人們的感官在藝術療癒中發揮作用。同時，展覽把柔軟擴展到更廣義的層面，把它從陳規定型的觀念中解放出來，構建多重感官的柔軟體驗。「花園」被視作一個實驗場域，使觀眾透過這面棱鏡觀察參與者對各類柔軟的互動和反饋是如何在此生成的。
該展覽見證了謝琰努力將傳統的白立方空間轉變為療癒的花園，深入探討自然中的短暫之美和脆弱狀態。展覽專注於療癒和反思，將多種媒介的作品結合在一起，作為對氣候變化和人類對自然影響的冥想。展覽創造了一種身臨其境的感官體驗，捕捉衰退和更新的循環的變化，引導觀眾反思他們與環境之間的關係。
漢娜·阿爾尚博的聲景裝置挑戰了觀眾的感官意識，《解構土壤》由旋律和女聲組成，該作品營造出層次感，喚起了懷舊和焦慮，創造了一種反復的、慵懶的氛圍，在畫廊中回蕩。她的作品聲音疏導不安與焦慮，捕捉舒適與不安之間的張力，試圖療癒觀眾。她的另一件作品《防腐憤怒》使用乾燥的木槿花和棉繩等材料，探索韌性、勞動和性別不平等的主題。該作品邀請觀眾進行物理接觸，通過觸摸和嗅覺來理解憤怒轉化為一種更柔軟和審視的狀態。
陳潔婷、胡非凡和俞文杰都使用柔軟的織物來表現親密和情感。他們成功傳達了深刻的情感敘事和聯繫，為觀眾提供了身臨其境的體驗。
陳潔婷的軟雕塑作品《在我進入你的懷抱之前》用羊毛和矽膠製作而成，探討了親密關係和觸摸體驗，其靈感來自於社會、文化和個人經驗，並通過流暢的輪廓和柔軟的材料表達對親密關係的期望。
俞文杰的《震蕩的滿足》系列非傳統繪畫；它們是用織物縫製而成的。該作品表達了童年的記憶和幻想，通過繪畫這種媒介，俞文杰探索了他過去自我的內心世界，與童年自我之間進行對話。這一內省的旅程深入探討了童年的純真奇蹟，記錄了個人成長、好奇心和勇氣的短暫時刻。
謝琰通過展覽串聯了一條療愈與內省的線索，從《沉入無日之海》的哲學深度到《在融化花園之中》的柔軟空間，謝琰的實踐超越了傳統界限，激發了對欲望、療愈以及我們與自然世界的深刻思考。 通過與艾米莉·霍爾茲沃斯、斯特拉·阿裏昂和漢娜·阿爾尚博等才華橫溢的藝術家作品間的細膩互動，這些為展覽展開生動的敘事，挑戰了常規的策展理念。 謝琰對心理學和哲學的追求在她策劃的展覽中都得到了體現，並且探索了個體欲望和沉浸式體驗。
謝琰以自身對作品資料語言的精准把握和纖細感知，為觀眾構建了一隅感官的奧德賽，在那裡情感被縫進織物，個人旅程迴響與普遍真理相呼應。 隨著觀者在她的每一個展覽現場中漫步，她的願景變清晰可見：藝術作為療愈、共鳴和人與人之間互動的催化劑，成為了錯綜複雜的現代社會關係的永恒追求。
Edited by Michelle Yu
