For its inaugural show, Capsule has chosen to present an expanded version of “When We Become Us”— the exhibition that marked Capsule’s opening in 2016 in Shanghai. On this occasion, the show is renamed “When We Become Us².”
This group exhibition occupies different semantic layers. On one hand it offers a glimpse of the poetics defining the work of the twenty-nine participating artists, providing an overview of the gallery’s programme (as well as some new collaborations), an overview of unexplored synergies among artists who have never exhibited all together before. On the other hand the exhibition is a heartfelt expression of the methodology embraced by the gallery during its seven-year journey. “When We Become Us²” is a reflection on what it means to run a space which, while functioning as a commercial organism, constantly engages in a process of mutual nurturing, growth, and continuous dialogue with the artists who bring the gallery to life. It is the ideal manifesto for Capsule Venice which seeks to become a hub blending a deep knowledge of the ecology of contemporary art with a humanistic, “artisanal” touch.
“When We Become Us²” is literally a call to action: it incorporates a relational dynamism, and discloses a meticulous design, activating a wide range of interfaces in an effort to visualise what happens when a “we” coheres and becomes self-aware. An encompassing notion of “we” allows for the full embrace and unfolding of individualities, while simultaneously remaining aware of our potential as part of a whole; the “us” we all contribute to creating.
“When We Become Us²” is the culmination of a proactive process, a long-term commitment based on sharing dreams, ideals, ups and downs, but also a determined facing together of our doubts, failures, and uncertainties. It is the reflection of an ongoing process in which professional and personal ethics join. The exhibition holds space for honest sentimentality, but “When We Become Us²” demands a centring of process, of becoming and renewal. A gallery may be a business, but it can only truly succeed if it is built on an ethical and humane network of equally valued participants.
Each of the artists and art professionals involved behind the scenes share their unique, personal story that Capsule has contributed to shaping, while, in turn, these voices have added layers to Capsule’s identity.
The artworks on view—distributed throughout the entire space both inside (project space, vip room, office and first floor) and outside (garden house and gallery space)—are arranged according to different foci, each devoted to topics Capsule has historically explored and interrogated.
Landscapes imbued with metaphorical resonance (as in the works of Daniel Chen, Yao Cong, Rudy Cremonini, Adrian Geller, Kong Lingnan, and Elizabeth Jaeger) co-exist with images that blend the natural, the artificial and the urban realms, stressing the paradoxes of contemporary life as it is lived not just in Asia, but globally (for example, in the work of Gao Yuan). Traces of potential archeologies of the future are scattered across the exhibition, and are evoked through the overlap of low-tech and high-tech materials, manifesting in biomorphic approaches and futuristic experiences (e.g. Leelee Chan, Feng Chen, Maya Kramer, Mevlana Lipp, and Alice Wang). Identity, sexuality, gender, and the continuous flow of the energy radiating from the body—still the most multi-faceted prism through which we read the widest spectrum of human emotions—are portrayed in all their vast carnalities (among others, as seen in the work of Ivy Haldeman, Pixy Liao, Liao Wen, Douglas Rieger, Tao Siqi, Alessandro Teoldi, and Wang Haiyang). Similar themes are subtly evoked by play of lines and brushstrokes (e.g. those of Sarah Faux). The appropriation of historical and iconographical patterns and the re-reading of the classic language of painting animate works on show (including that by Cai Zebin, Anthony Iacono, Chris Oh, and Yan Xinyue). These themes are juxtaposed to the appropriation of the quotidian life of people and objects (e.g. as seen in contributions by Huang Hai-Hsin, Ryosuke Kumakura, and Tian Jianxin). In this kaleidoscopic interplay of media, spanning from painting to sculpture, from installation to photographic wallpaper, there is additional room for textile art (for example, Miranda Fengyuan Zhang), and reflections blending the societal and the individual spheres of interaction (e.g. Curtis Talwst Santiago’s contribution).
“When We Become Us²” doesn’t provide definitive guidelines, rather a starting point for a reflection. A gallery’s vision is not genuinely accomplished by merely achieving one strategic success after the other, one exhibition after the other, but rather it succeeds by being able to act as a catalyst, to provide a site of experience in which artists, audiences, art professionals, collectors, and the community at large become “us.”
—Manuela Lietti
Participating artists:
Cai Zebin, Leelee Chan, Daniel Chen, Rudy Cremonini, Sarah Faux, Feng Chen, Gao Yuan, Adrian Geller, Ivy Haldeman, Huang Hai-Hsin, Anthony Iacono, Elisabeth Jaeger, Kong Lingnan, Maya Kramer, Ryosuke Kumakura, Pixy Liao, Liao Wen, Mevlana Lipp, Chris Oh, Douglas Rieger, Curtis Talwst Santiago, Tao Siqi, Alessandro Teoldi, Tian Jianxin, Alice Wang, Wang Haiyang, Yan Xinyue, Yao Cong, Miranda Fengyuan Zhang
at Capsule Venice
until March 23, 2024