Liao Wen's Violent Sculptures at Capsule Shanghai Venice

Chinese artist Liao Wen (b. 1994, Chengdu; lives and works in Hong Kong) presents her first solo exhibition in Italy, 'By devouring it, I learn about the world,' at Capsule Shanghai's Venice space, curated by Manuela Lietti. The show explores violence through elegant, refined sculptures. A large whale skeleton suspended in the main hall symbolizes human appropriation of non-human bodies, activated by a performance video where its entrails and heart are removed. The video 'Down the Eye of Polyphemos' shows penetration and violation of human, animal, and plant bodies. The sculpture 'Tears of the Succubus' depicts a praying mantis mating scene, blending eros and thanatos, with seeds sprouting on the female's back to signify life coexisting with death. Liao Wen carves her works in wood, emphasizing the physical, manual process as a reflection on her own violent and negative side. Concurrently, the space also hosts shows by German artist Mevlana Lipp (b. 1989, Cologne) and Italian artist Alessio de Girolamo (b. 1980, Sanremo).