4th December 2024 – 12th December 2024
The Apple Paradox: Desire and Decay is a multidisciplinary group exhibition featuring nine emerging artists from 4th to 12th December 2024. Through video, installation, painting, performance, and textiles, the exhibition uses the apple as a powerful symbol to examine consumerism, marginalisation, and ecological renewal themes. Curated by Faithe Yang, the show invites audiences to reflect on the paradoxical tensions of modern life—between desire and decay, consumption and regeneration. It opened at SPLIT Gallery in London.
Jean Baudrillard’s The System of Objects contextualises the apple as both a desirable object and a commodified symbol, highlighting its dual nature: enticing yet fragile, nourishing yet concealing rot. This paradox forms the foundation for the exhibition’s exploration of contemporary life.
Apple of Ling Qiao, the fruit symbolises societal ideals of success, derived from the Chinese zhuazhou tradition, where an infant’s object choice foretells their future. The work critiques familial and societal pressures, showing how these expectations
suppress individual aspirations, echoing Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. Pingfan Que’s animation The Ants broadens this critique, focusing on urban alienation and consumerism’s repetitive cycles. Through a detached perspective, the work juxtaposes the monotony of subway commuters with the frenzied consumption of weekend shoppers. This cyclical pattern reflects Michel de Certeau’s insights on how systemic forces often subsume individual agency.
Zixiang Zhang, Symbiosis foregrounds ecological concerns, integrating textiles, straw, and mycelium to depict regenerative possibilities. Mycelium functions both as a decomposer and a growth medium, symbolising the transformation of waste into renewal. Similarly, Yijing Miao’s Microplastics turns ecological data into a visceral experience. By transforming the impact of microplastics into soundscapes and participatory acts, Miao prompts viewers to confront the often invisible environmental crisis.
The exhibition also examines the body’s relationship with technology. The Flow of Yunlin Jiang critiques digital consumption by transforming traditional knitting into a method of screen navigation. The work materialises ephemeral digital interactions into physical artefacts, echoing Sherry Turkle’s concerns in Alone Together about the erosion of human agency in the digital age. At the same time, Yitong Ye, Symbiotic extends this exploration, merging biological and digital realms. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto, the work envisions the body as a hybrid entity, transcending conventional boundaries of identity and existence. The interplay of warmth and precision creates a transformative coexistence that redefines individuality.
Urban Orphans, Chengyu Yao highlights the exclusion of marginalised individuals, using cold metallic frames to evoke societal neglect. Yet, as Judith Butler posits in Precarious Life, vulnerability can inspire resistance. By transforming trauma into resilience, Yao reimagines marginalised spaces as sites of potential renewal. Zhanjiang Liu’s A Man Who Wants to Flee His Fate blends personal narratives with existential questions, reflecting on the tension between agency and determinism. This interplay resonates with Hannah Arendt’s concept of natality, suggesting the possibility of new beginnings even within restrictive systems.
Ke Jade Fan’s Itch investigates desire and addiction in digital spaces. Using itch as a metaphor for virtual environments, the work captures the paradoxical allure of discomfort and relief. Byung-Chul Han’s The Burnout Society critiques the overstimulation of digital life, a theme Fan explores through sensory engagement, questioning the human cost of technological immersion.
The exhibition transcends the apple as a mere object, positioning it as a framework to interrogate consumption, alienation, and renewal. As Baudrillard reminds us, “Objects are never just objects; they are mirrors of our desires.” Through its dual symbolism—sustenance and temptation—the apple encapsulates the emotional and ecological contradictions of modernity. By integrating personal narratives with theoretical critiques, The Apple Paradox: Desire and Decay challenges viewers to confront their roles in these systems, offering a space for reflection and accountability.
Exhibition Details
Title: The Apple Paradox: Desire and Decay
Dates: 4th December 2024 – 12th December 2024
Location: SPLIT Gallery, 62 Roman Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 0PG
Participating Artists: Chengyu Yao, Ke Jade Fan, Zhanjiang Liu, Ling Qiao, Pingfan Que, Yijing Miao, Yitong Ye, Yunlin Jiang, Zixiang Zhang
Curated by Faithe Yang, a London-based curator whose practice integrates psychoanalytic theory and art healing, this exhibition bridges art, space, and emotional resonance fostering a dialogue between human experience and environmental awareness.
Press Release Date: 18th December 2024
