Material Matters

This exhibition brings together two major figures in contemporary art for whom material matters. Sheila Hicks (b. 1934, lives in Paris) has been active on the international art scene since the early 1960s, working primarily with fiber, color,and structure. Shi Hui (b. 1955, lives in Hangzhou) has developed her own language since the 1980s, exploring paper pulp, pure white, and poetic spatial forms. Both are pushing the traditions of art-making through experimentation using humble materials in innovative modes.

In this double solo exhibition, we are captivated by how Sheila Hicks intertwines threads, colors, and histories, and plays with softness and monumentality. At the same time, we decipher the multiple lives Shi Hui gives to paper pulp and how her work rekindles Chinese artistic traditions.

To reconsider art history through material is to reconcile the eye, the hand, and the intellect, and embrace tactility and contemplation at once. It is to underline the importance of processes and know-how. Soft materials-textiles and paper - become universal vessels for memory and concepts, encouraging emotions and learning.

While visiting this exhibition, we invite you to reflect on your own relationship with materials: the texture of your clothes, the colors you wear, and the tactile feel of objects in your pocket.