Pareidolia

The phenomenon of pareidolia refers to the human tendency to perceive connection or make meaning from ambiguous or random stimuli, for instance, when we see the shape of a face in a cloud formation, or an image or pattern within nature or on an everyday object. While Geng Xue and Sun Ziyao’s works do not directly explore this bizarre yet ubiquitous phenomenon of perception, their duo exhibition establishes a space where viewers are invited to meditate over the myriad of different meanings and perspectives pervading through the artworks.

The theme of Pareidolia pays homage to the 2018 Sydney Biennale’s theme Superposition, which is a principle derived from quantum mechanics. Mami Kataoka, the Artistic Director of the Biennale, adopted the term as a metaphor for the different perspectives and interpretations of history and art. Drawing on the Biennale’s theme of Superposition, Vermilion Art exhibition Pareidolia also plays with the concept of perception and perspective as Geng Xue and Sun Ziyao’s duo exhibition, both consciously and subconsciously, encourages its audience to explore and examine the possible perspective and meanings within their artworks.