OrnamenTrance

What is it

The exhibition OrnamenTrance embodies two defining characteristics.

First, the curators designed an interactive viewing mode tailored to the specific spatial features of the venue, guiding the audience into a space of “adventure and discovery.” Much like Frodo’s perilous journey in The Lord of the Rings, the exhibition invites viewers to experience the quiet power of contemporary jewellery and objects through unique uses of light and shadow—revealing how small forms can reflect grand narratives and the human condition. Drawing inspiration from T.S. Eliot’s theory of the "objective correlative" and other visual texts, the exhibition hall is enveloped in intertwining shadows and mist. With only faint beams of torchlight illuminating each object or piece of jewellery, these concentrated points of light pierce through the darkness—becoming, as curators Yuanyuan Yu and Rui Gao envision, the "traces of ornament" each visitor leaves behind.

The second characteristic lies in the dialogue between mediums. The curators view artist Shu Tong’s paintings not only as meditations on image generation rooted in conceptual thought, but also as carriers of the “extra information” embedded in material itself—revealing a trajectory from concept to materiality. In parallel, contemporary craft practitioners are adept at excavating the inherent properties of materials, using them to express social, philosophical, and cultural insights. These two practices, situated at opposite ends of concept and material, move toward a point of convergence. The exhibition therefore adopts a comparative curatorial approach, enabling viewers to engage in a “roundtable dialogue” between material, technique, and thought—reflecting the curators’ interdisciplinary perspective within the context of contemporary visual art.

Art Director: Xin Guo, Jiaying Xu

Curator: Yuanyuan Yu, Rui Gao

Curatorial Advisors: Hengfeng Zhou, Han Bao, Chongzhi Gong, Chong Shi

Organiser: Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts

Co-organiser: Jewerly and Metal Studio,Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University 

Supporting Units: Metal and Jewellery Studio, Nanjing University of the Arts,

Rong Art Center, ALSOLIKE

When is it

December 8 - 25, 2024

Where is it

Rong Art Center, Shanghai

What to expect