Prayers to Fornax at Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing: Science, Technology, and Spirituality
"Prayers to Fornax: Science, Technology, and Spirituality" will be exhibited at Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing from July 18 to December 13, 2026. Curated by Yifeng Wei and Penny Dan Xu, the winners of the Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025, this group show explores science and mysticism as provisional frameworks rather than absolute truths. Featured works include Chen Zhe's brass cranial-suture zodiac, a video by June Balthazard and Pierre Pauze with Nobel laureate Michel Mayor and CERN researcher Chiara Mariotti, Natasha Tontey's cyborg-vampire tale, Riar Rizaldi's reflection on Radio Malabar, Haroon Mirza's Chladni plate experiment with soprano Juliette Fraser, Zach Blas's examination of algorithmic mysticism, Nolan Oswald Dennis's wallpaper zodiac, and Suzanne Treister's 78 tarot cards. The exhibition's title alludes to the faint constellation Fornax, designated by 18th-century French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille.
Key facts
- Exhibition runs July 18–December 13, 2026 at Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing.
- Curated by Yifeng Wei and Penny Dan Xu, winners of Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025.
- Features works by Chen Zhe, June Balthazard, Pierre Pauze, Natasha Tontey, Riar Rizaldi, Haroon Mirza, Zach Blas, Nolan Oswald Dennis, and Suzanne Treister.
- Chen Zhe's 'Celestial-cranial Instrument: Sutural Zodiac' (2022–23) consists of 12 brass forms.
- 'Mass' (2020) by Balthazard and Pauze includes 2019 Nobel laureate Michel Mayor and CERN's Chiara Mariotti.
- Suzanne Treister's 'HEXEN 5.0' (2023–25) comprises 78 tarot cards.
- The show's title derives from the constellation Fornax, identified by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille.
- Nolan Oswald Dennis's 'Black Liberation Zodiac: Whale-mouth Solidarities' (2026) is a wallpaper installation.
Entities
Artists
- Yifeng Wei
- Penny Dan Xu
- Chen Zhe
- June Balthazard
- Pierre Pauze
- Michel Mayor
- Chiara Mariotti
- Natasha Tontey
- Riar Rizaldi
- Haroon Mirza
- Helga Dóróthea Fannon
- Juliette Fraser
- Zach Blas
- Nolan Oswald Dennis
- Suzanne Treister
- Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille
- Michele Chan
Institutions
- Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing
- CERN
- Hermès Horloger
- Taipei Fine Arts Museum
- Akademie der Künste Berlin
- Annely Juda Fine Art
- P.P.O.W. Gallery
- Goodman Gallery
- Hyundai Blue Prize+
Locations
- Beijing
- China
- Bienne
- Switzerland
- Taipei
- Taiwan
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York
- United States
- West Java
- Indonesia
- Berlin
- Germany