• Walking in the Forest——Su Jiaxi Solo Exhibition


    Artist: Su Jiaxi
    Opening: 2024.1.13   16:00 - 18:00
    Duration: 2024.1.13 - 3.8   10:00 - 18:00 Daily Open
    Venue: OFOTO & ANART, 2F, Bldg.13, 50 Moganshan Rd., Shanghai, China


    At first, Su Jiaxi wanted to see his own image in the plants, like gazing his reflection in the  water, attempting to construct his own subjectivity. However, plants gradually made him understand that it was not "me" who was the scale of all things, but that all things have their own scales. After gazing at a clump of leaves or a tree for a long time, some invisible souls seem to exchange ideas. They can observe other nature from the perspective of non-human beings, experience the interaction of multiple senses, and reconnect with the world. For example, they can be both grass and trees, as well as mountain winds, floating dust, and light. So when he returns to himself, his obsession with subjectivity completely dissipates. People and all things should coexist on an equal and peaceful basis, and Su Jiaxi's creations and thoughts in the past three years have been based on this original intention.


    This exhibition aims to evoke a memory of walking slowly in the forest, a posture and rhythm that carries thoughts. The stroller travels through nature and the nature passes through his body like paper and water-based pigment. They have a mutually penetrating relationship - permeation, rather than horizontal invasion or vertical coverage, meaning they can visit each other, communicate with each other, and even blend into one. The inspiration that plants bring us is that they represent a form of life that can live without swallowing other life forms, and can be directly connected to the universe without relying on any intermediaries. These autotrophs can establish a new world without violence, they are eternal producers of form and material, as philosopher Emmanuel Corcia said: "This form of life makes the world an infinitely malleable place." Therefore, praising plants is praising the divinity of creators.


    Interestingly, although Su Jiaxi is a stroller in the forest, his sometimes shows an image close to a scientific researcher: he wears a sunshade hat, carries a cloth bag across his body, and looks down at rocks, soil, or specific species; He may be a geologist or ecologist, pondering over the process of conducting field investigations. However, no matter what his identity is, he is a wise man in practice and a thinker in the field. He is not like a hunter, attempting to conquer the mountains and forests or like an adventurer who maintains pure observation and contemplation. He always has to do something, he needs to touch nature with his hands and connect his feet to the ground.


    In fact, Su Jiaxi depicts a universal habitat: he removes easily recognizable regional factors in order to make the scene appear on any hill in the world, so that every viewer can feel inexplicably familiar, as if the memories of the forest are awakened. That belongs to our shared childhood.