ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

BIEN's Debut London Solo Exhibition Explores Truth and Fiction

exhibition · 2026-05-03

BIEN presents his debut London solo exhibition at Season 4 Episode 6, titled after Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's 1922 story 'In a Grove'. The exhibition examines the subjective nature of truth in the digital age, referencing the 'Rashomon effect' from Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film adaptation. BIEN's work incorporates magic lantern imagery, large-scale skeletal portraits of the story's protagonists, and a video of a candle burning from both ends. The show features acrylic stained linen paintings, a greyboard sculpture, and postcards with extracted figures, all exploring themes of perception, light, and image-making.

Key facts

  • BIEN's debut London solo exhibition is titled after Akutagawa's 1922 story 'In a Grove'.
  • The exhibition is held at Season 4 Episode 6 in London.
  • Akutagawa's story presents contradictory testimonies after a samurai's murder.
  • Kurosawa's 1950 film 'Rashomon' adapted the story and coined the 'Rashomon effect'.
  • BIEN explores the impact of fake news, social media manipulation, and AI on truth.
  • The artist uses magic lantern imagery, referencing 17th-century phantasmagoria.
  • Large-scale skeletal portraits depict the three protagonists from 'In a Grove'.
  • A single-channel video shows a candle burning from both ends as a metaphor for opposing forces.

Entities

Artists

  • BIEN
  • Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
  • Akira Kurosawa

Institutions

  • Season 4 Episode 6

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom

Sources