Vermilion Art Young Curator Program - Beneath the Surface

“As above, so below; as within, so without. ”

               — Hermetic axiom, 2nd century

In alchemical tradition, the saying reveals the deep correspondence between the inner and outer worlds, the spiritual and the material. In contemporary art, it can be understood as the artist’s process of translating inner perception, emotion, and experience into a visible form. Through material manipulation, the artist gives shape to consciousness, turning creative practice into a form of spiritual alchemy. The viewer, in turn, participates in this exchange by reflecting upon their own inner world through engagement with the artwork.

The exhibition ‘Beneath the Surface’ presents works by five female artists——Larisa Tao Liu, Helen Morgan, Jessica Smith, Tao Aimin and Zhang Shuo, creating an artistic space where consciousness and material interact, revealing the spiritual essence beneath material appearance.

“上如其下，内如其外 。”

——《赫耳墨斯箴言》，公元2世纪

在炼金术的思想体系中，这句古老的箴言揭示了内在与外在、精神与物质之间的对应关系。放在当代艺术的语境里，可理解为通过艺术家的创作，将内心的感知和经验外化为可见的形态；而观者则通过艺术家的创作反观到自身的内在世界中来，形成一种双向的映照关系。当艺术家通过对材料的操控，来完成内在意识的具象化，创作便可视为一种精神的炼金术。

展览《物之下》 ，通过5位女性艺术家——刘涛, Helen Morgan, Jessica Smith, 陶艾民和张硕的作品，来呈现一个意识与物质载体互相作用后的艺术场域，来揭示物质材料表象下的精神内核。