Tan Yingjie’s work Bringing the Exterior Closer (2025) on show at Cai Jin Space in Beijing [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The ongoing group exhibition "重" (Chong/Zhong) at Cai Jin Space in Beijing's 798 art district explores the absurdity of modern life, which stems from the often punitive nature of daily grind.
Curator Xing Yu plays on the dual meanings of the title, suggesting both "repetitive" and "heavy." Viewers can experience these meanings resonating throughout the works of four featured artists: Tan Yingjie, Jia Rang, Song Ziwei and Gao Suodu.
Upon entering the exhibition space, visitors may feel as though they are being enveloped by a surreal environment. The walls, ceiling and floor, along with an abandoned machine within the room, are adorned with images that defy immediate recognition.
As the curious audience navigates this peculiar space and examines the detailed images more closely, they might recognize familiar urban landscapes captured from the surrounding area, visible from the venue's windows.
This is the essence of Tan Yingjie's work, Bringing the Exterior Closer (2025). It presents a playful visual game that blurs the lines between inside and outside, reality and representation, offering viewers a fresh sensory encounter in this reconstructed environment and prompting them to rethink their relationship with their immediate surroundings.
Jia Rang’s installation Sky (2025) on show at Cai Jin Space in Beijing [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Under a blue ceiling symbolizing the sky is Jia Rang's artwork, Sky (2025). The piece features a real estate billboard that reads, "To the right is Beijing. There is my sky." and a video installation showcasing a flying kite, which carries the word "sky" above the billboard.
Jia conceived this work based on his experiences living in Yanjiao, Hebei province—a satellite town to the east of Beijing. Yanjiao, known for its affordability, is home to roughly half a million commuters who travel to Beijing for work each day. The billboard is one of many that stand at provincial borders, enticing young people to buy homes in Yanjiao by highlighting its proximity to the capital.
Jia made a kite and flew it close to the billboards which freely crossed the Heibei-Beijing borders. The free, lithe kite reminds viewers of the harsh reality of those Yanjiao commuters who devote hours each day to riding the bus and train in pursuit of their career ambitions or simply to earn a living in Beijing.
Artist Song Ziwei lit up the hand-shaped candle installation The Working Shell, the Working Ghost (2025) during the exhibition opening at Cai Jin Space in Beijing, March 5, 2025. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Song Ziwei, a graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts who works as an editor by day, created three pieces for the exhibition.
In Tired (2025), a clock with hands made of soft silicon moves slowly and somewhat reluctantly, resonating with many viewers who feel similarly exhausted by the relentless rat race yet must keep slogging.
In The Working Shell, the Working Ghost (2025), Song presents a pair of hand-shaped white candles adhered to the giant machine. The movements of the hands, as they type on a keyboard, are reflected in the work. As the candles burn, the hands gradually melt away, leaving a trace of their existence on the ground.
Pay to Make the Artist Smile (2025) by Song Ziwei [Photo by Yang Xiaoyu/chinadaily.com.cn]
For Pay to Make the Artist Smile (2025), Song displays images of all four participating artists on an iPad, each wearing neutral expressions. The audience can click a button to pay any amount they wish to activate the artist's smile for one minute. Alternatively, they can choose another option to achieve the same effect without making a payment. This interactive piece highlights the challenging circumstances many artists, particularly emerging ones, face as they often work for minimal or no compensation.
A Windy Night (2025) by Gao Suodu [Photo by Yang Xiaoyu/chinadaily.com.cn]
Gao Suodu's A Windy Night (2025) presents a dynamic installation featuring an orange wooden box placed on top of a blue basket. The box displays candid photos of various unremarkable windows, resembling a residential building. These images were taken by the artist in his hometown of Baotou, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. On the box, a pile of oranges and lemons progressively dry out or rot with time.
Gao recreated a familiar scene, capturing innumerable windows from the outside but finding it challenging to connect with the people living behind them. In an artist talk held on March 8 at Cai Jin Space, Gao stated that these steel-framed and security mesh windows symbolize modern individuals who, feeling insecure, adopt defensive or even aggressive attitudes, especially online.
The exhibition is free of charge and will run until March 31.
Location: Cai Jin Space, Room 502, Building 311, Qixing Dongjie, 798 art district, Chaoyang district, Beijing.
Tired (2025) by Song Ziwei [Photo by Yang Xiaoyu/chinadaily.com.cn]
An artist talk moderated by curator Xing Yu (first from right) is held at Cai Jin Space in Beijing, March 8, 2025. [Photo by Yang Xiaoyu/chinadaily.com.cn]
The kite bearing the word “sky” in Jia Rang’s installation Sky (2025) [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
