Text/Liu Beining
Inna Art Space is delighted to announce the forthcoming solo exhibition by artist Shang Simin, titled Isle in a Lake in an Isle, opening at 3 PM on December 15, 2024.
This exhibition represents the latest chapter in Shang Simin’s ongoing narrative series centered around the fictional Isle of Pandan. Isle of Pandan is a symbolic and imagined space where Pandan, a girl endowed with a complex identity, and her two cats become the focal points of an intricately nested narrative. The exhibition visually explores the interrelation between individuality and family, personal freedom and societal influence, creating a layered discourse on the tensions between self-determination and external expectations. Through metaphorical imagery and immersive scenes, Shang delves into the delicate struggle between conformity and desire, unearthing the intricate interplay of personal identity within multiple relational frameworks—an allegory embodied in the very title, Isle in a Lake in an Isle.
Within this world, Shang employs the fictional character Pandan to craft a richly metaphorical narrative exploring the individual’s complex relationships with family, society, and self-construction. The story begins with Horse Girl, where Pandan appears as a grand, imposing statue—a symbol of the idealized façade imposed by external forces. Yet, this statue is hollow, and the true self is diminutive and obscure, hidden behind an irremovable mask. This rift between external image and internal truth exposes how societal and familial expectations suppress individual autonomy.
The contradictions of familial ties are further magnified in Come Back Home Soon, where a maternal frog tenderly calls Pandan back—a gesture that, though nurturing in appearance, is fundamentally an encroachment on her freedom. The recurring octagonal “well” motif symbolizes the limitations of individual perception and hints at an inescapable cycle of destiny.
In works like STAY, LIVE, DIE and Worship the God of Fortune, Shang critiques the modern valorization of traits such as timidity and compliance, amplified by technological and societal mechanisms. These themes of suppression and constraint deepen in Little Fire and The Well, where Pandan sheds her disguise and briefly tastes freedom, only to remain confined within a narrow space, unable to see beyond her immediate surroundings. The well's enclosed structure reappears in Little Fire, where the frog emerges from the tiles below, symbolizing the intertwined duality of liberty and restraint.
The Net of an Oyster’s Life Meaning elevates the discussion further, drawing upon Max Weber’s concept of the “web of meaning” to examine the pursuit of freedom and purpose within the constraints imposed by society. The oyster's life, its pinnacle defined by a splash of lemon juice, mirrors how “free choices” are often shaped by invisible forces of habit and societal norms. From the statue to the well, from disguises to struggles, these interwoven works construct a labyrinth of nested relationships, probing the perpetual tension between freedom and oppression, meaning and futility.
Through seemingly absurd metaphors and narratives, Shang Simin reveals the deep contradictions and perplexities of modern existence, drawing the audience into a psychological landscape that is at once familiar and enigmatic. The profound reflections in Shang’s large-scale paintings are mirrored and amplified by the smaller, everyday vignettes scattered throughout the exhibition space, creating a dynamic interplay between the grand and the intimate.
Isle in a Lake in an Isle not only continues Shang Simin’s tradition of rich metaphor and intricate storytelling but also invites viewers to reconsider the boundaries of individual existence and its inherent meaning. Balancing humor and profundity, narrative and abstraction, the exhibition offers a sustained meditation on freedom, relationships, and life’s paradoxes. Shang Simin’s work, with its vibrant pop aesthetics, subtle emotional undercurrents, and philosophical depth, unfolds as a multidimensional exploration of Pandan’s journey—an odyssey shaped by societal forces yet defined by her resistance and quest for meaning.
This nested landscape, like the natural wonder of an isle within a lake, symbolizes not only the entrapment of the individual within relational confines but also the endless tension between human freedom and constraint.
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