Kiang Malingue presents “Geopoetics regarding a waterless sea”, Nabuqi’s third exhibition with the gallery. Based on an eponymous novel by author Chen Si’an written for this exhibition, Nabuqi has created a new body of sculptures and installations that investigates the changes of time, memory, spirituality and faith, the distinction between land and sea, and the intertextual relationship between literature and sculpture.

Nabuqi collaborated with Chen for the first time on the occasion of the Beijing Biennial in 2022, producing a distinct series of sculptures including Thread, and Symmetry (Residence and Tomb) based on a perusal of The Flame Within, an anthology of Chen’s short stories. The foundation of the current exhibition is a structured collaboration: Nabuqi first commissioned Chen to create a chaptered novel after conducting research in Hong Kong; she then conceived a new body of work that in turn became the starting point from which Chen expanded the novel. The exhibition’s title is derived from the novel, and the individual artworks are also named after the chapters and elements that appear in the literature. Nabuqi’s long-term practice is characterized by a concern for the diverse literary traditions of China and Europe—from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott to Autumn Night by Lu Xun—the current exhibition of “Geopoetics regarding a waterless sea” is another attempt to nurture forms with words, and to rewrite stories sculpturally.

Opening: Thur, 12 September, 6 – 8 PM

Gallery address: 10 Sik On Street, Wanchai