TAN YING JIE ：THE STOLEN SHELL
Beijing
April 23rd - June 19th. 2022
TAN YING JIE ：THE STOLEN SHELL
TAN YING JIE：THE STOLEN SHELL
Hunsand Space is pleased to present a solo exhibition “The Stolen Shell” from artist Tan Yingjie. This is his second solo exhibition in Hunsand Space (Beijing).
Looking back at Tan Yingjie's first exhibition "Imagine, You Are Roaming", which opened on September 5th, 2020. It was the first year of the spread of COVID-19. With the continuous period of isolation, mobile phones became the only medium to connect and examine the outside world. Tan Yingjie felt anxious when facing the influx of a large amount of fragmented information all the time. In this context, he began to smear large and small plastic ocean balls with glue, wrapping them with newspaper with his neighbor. Finally, more than 30,000 ocean balls covered with newspaper were shown in the exhibition site, forming a physical information swimming pool.
In the following year and a half, we have gradually adapted to the ever-changing epidemic situation and the sudden intrusion of various information. Mobile phones are not only a medium for receiving information, but are taking over all aspects of our lives such as clothing, food, housing and transportation. In other words, it is no longer just a simple life assistant for convenience, but has been upgraded to a tool of locator, pass, identification or space connector, which has become an absolute necessity for maintaining daily social relations. This strong dependence of life on mobile internet technology should have been a slow and gradual process, but now it comes unexpectedly, and there is no psychological buffer period, resulting in the feeling that if a mobile phone suddenly being stolen, you may be naked in front of strangers at any time.
This is how Tan Yingjie's uneasiness and helplessness come from, and it is also his motivation to create a series of works in this exhibition. However, as the exhibition title "The Stolen Shell" suggests, the mobile phone was not stolen, only the "shell"(case) was missing. Without this protective barrier, it can be forcibly "pressed" into the owner's body and quickly integrated with the "I"-it is the object and the subject. The behavior of "I" is transformed into its identity, which in turn disciplines the action of "I" - thus, "we" protect each other, and even cause and effect each other.
When it comes to the creation of works, the relaxed, humorous and "homely" expression is still Tan Yingjie's most prominent language, which will bring a certain cheerful atmosphere to the exhibition. However, behind this, those "stolen”, probably will never be found again.
Tan Yingjie, born in Hunan in 1992, graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2016, and currently lives and works in Beijing. Recent solo projects include: The Stolen Shell (2022), Hunsand Space (Beijing); Imagination, You Are Roaming (2020), Hunsand Space (Beijing); Blank Elements (2019), Hunsand Space (Beijing)/UCCA - Large Exhibition Room; Snake and Ladder (2019), CLC Gallery ; Fog Valley (2018), Mocube; Speed Speed Accelerate (2018), Mstudio; Unreliable Narrator (2017), Taikang Space, etc.
