“The steep peaks of pain and pleasure dictates my life, and I often engaged in an active hunt to transcend this binary, in the throes of ecstasy, that is, the self losing control of the self. In OSCILLATIONS I wanted to capture a certain blurriness between the two realms, a muddled territory between despair and exaltation using my own body as a source of knowledge, and the spiritual architecture in Chongqing, the demonic figures in the Ghost city of Fengdu and heavenly carvings of Dazu.”

The artist uses their own body as material, ink, objects and installation to reflect on the ideology of extreme individualisation in contemporary times, where each person bares the sole, life-defining responsibility of their own humanity, in pain and in pleasure, for better or for worse.

Alekksandra also performed a 26-hour intervention within the gallery walls, living inside for 26 hours, and writing poetry at intervals for every hour she has been alive, which was recorded on CCTV. It was a life-affirming act, to honour her life and this milestone.

“The artist presented extreme emotions through installations and images, where the blurred emotions might be tears of joy, agony, or merely part of the game. And then, she uses brush and ink to explore what is real between black and white. The values of East and West gently touch upon each other in Alekksandra’s works, leaving a lingering resonance,” the curator, Niu Qiwei said.

As the artist observes, the essence may lie in the blurred zone between despair and ecstasy. Just like trees grow, adapting to the changes of the seasons, seeking balance and avoiding excess, they stand between heaven and earth. For humans, the same principle applies: acting with composure, maintaining inner balance, and making judgments impartially all emphasize the concept of “be in the middle.”

When our heart and mind start, they leads us to joy and sorrow. Yet spring and autumn continue, and heaven and earth remain, as the saying from Tao Teh King says “Heaven and earth are unkind”. For this exhibition, the name “欲哭欲笑 哭笑不得” (Don’t know whether to laugh or cry) indeed carries a sense of self-mockery,” he finished.

“I’m really happy with how the work has been received,” Alekksandra said. “It gives me such a great confidence to continue delving deeper into my practice… and also return to China as soon as possible,” Alekksandra said.

Oscillations opened on 18th August 2024 until 1st September 2024.

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