Lin Tianmiao's Retrospective at Power Station of Art Explores Domesticity as Revolutionary Site
From September 30, 2025, to January 4, 2026, the Power Station of Art in Shanghai hosted "There's No Fun in It!", an exhibition curated by Pi Li that surveyed Lin Tianmiao's thirty-year artistic journey. The show delved into domestic life as a reflection of broader existence, highlighted by a large sphere enveloped in white string. The white silk thread represented resilience through experiences such as motherhood, illness, and cancer. Influenced by thinkers like Nancy F. Cott and Dolores Hayden, Lin's works, including Bound and Unbound (1997) with kitchen items wrapped in silk, along with pieces like 1.62 meters (2003) and Loss & Gain (2014), examined women's struggles and roles, intertwining themes of body, object, and home.
Key facts
- Exhibition "There's No Fun in It!" surveyed over three decades of Lin Tianmiao's career
- Curated by Pi Li and organized by Power Station of Art in Shanghai
- Ran from September 30, 2025 to January 4, 2026
- Featured early work of massive sphere wrapped in white string that gave exhibition its title
- White silk thread served as pervasive material binding narratives of resilience
- Referenced feminist intellectuals Nancy F. Cott and Dolores Hayden
- Included installations Bound and Unbound (1997) and Loss & Gain (2014)
- Explored themes of domesticity, body, illness, and women's societal roles
Entities
Artists
- Lin Tianmiao
- Pi Li
- Nancy F. Cott
- Dolores Hayden
- Béatrice Grenier
Institutions
- Power Station of Art
- Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain
- ArtAsiaPacific
Locations
- Shanghai
- China
- Paris
- France