there IS and ONLY IS 有且仅有
Ni Art Museum 霓美术馆
November 17, 2024 – March 20, 2025
Curator: North Siqi Ma 马思琦
Presenter: Qi Gao 高琪
Preface
这既是一种对存在的陈述，也是一种对选择的强调。
“有且仅有”指向的是被剥离至核心的状态，那是在无数种可能性中，对某一瞬间、某种体验的唯一呈现。作为此次展览的主题，“有且仅有”不仅是居于策划构思上的概念，同样也是本次艺术家孙凡浠贯穿在其创作中的，一种核心的驱动力。
此次展览展出作品，延续了孙凡浠创作一贯的气质。她以极简主义的判断介入对世界和自我的观照，通过画面的纯粹，将一切杂质剥离，只留下最本质的“有且仅有”。在这里，“有”不仅仅是一种具体事物确凿存在或拥有的状态，更是一种关于现实与必然的质感——稳固、确定，亦满含隐秘的情绪。“且”作为承接，为这种存在增加了一层额外的延展，它将被摄取的物景进一步发散，把视线推向与思维来回渗透的层叠之中。而“仅”则赋予“有”排他性的意味，孙凡浠给予它限定每一个时刻不可替代的权利，正如其在创作中对主体性的坚定选择一般。那时间在其中并非流水，而是绵延的瞬间，它们因被凝视而愈显独立。
在此基础上，最后重复的“有”，进一步突出了选择的价值，它指射在所有创作的可能中，这唯一一种表达已被我们的艺术家提炼，并令其成为思考中最纯粹的本质。它不仅仅是视觉上的简化和形式上的选择，更是在有限的、个体的存在中，尝试实验出一种关于每个人自我认同的深刻体验。而作为观者的我们，也因而得以进入这唯一性的体验之中——专注于瞬间本身，在作品的来回里体会那时间的膨胀与空间的收缩。
马思琦（小北）/文
This is both a statement of existence and an emphasis on choice.
“there IS and ONLY IS” gestures toward a state stripped to its core–the one and only presentation of a moment or experience among countless possibilities. As the theme of this exhibition, “there IS and ONLY IS” is not only a conceptual foundation for the creative, curatorial process but also a core driving force running through artist Sun Fanxi’s practice.
The works on display continue the distinctive quality of Sun Fanxi’s style. With a minimalist perspective, she engages in an exploration of the world and self, stripping away all impurities through the purity of her images, leaving only the essence of “there IS and ONLY IS.” Here, “there is” is not merely a confirmed state of a specific object existing or possessing but also a texture of reality and inevitability–solid, definite, as well as subtle emotions. The conjunction “and” adds an extra layer to this existence, further diffusing the captured objects and scenes, pushing the gaze into layers of intertwined thoughts. Meanwhile, “only” grants the “is” an exclusive quality, as Sun Fanxi gives it the irrevocable right to define each irreplaceable moment, reflecting her resolute choice of subjectivity in her work. In this context, time is not a flowing stream but rather a continuum of moments, each one gaining a distinct sense of independence under her gaze.
On this basis, the final repetition of “is” further highlights the value of choice. It implies that, out of all the creative avenues, this singular expression has been distilled by the artist to become the purest essence of thought. It is not solely a visual simplification or a formal choice; rather, it is an attempt to create a profound, shared experience of self-identity within the limited, individual existence. As viewers, we are thus invited to this experience of uniqueness–focusing on the moment itself and feeling the expansion of time and the contraction of space within the interplay of her works.
by North Siqi Ma
Start and End
Two-channel video installation, 2024, loop
Start and End was inspired by my experience on Dongshan Island in Suzhou: the gardens on the island feature intricate, complex architectural designs, while the highway bridge encircling Taihu Lake seems to stretch endlessly across the water. My sensations as I moved between these two spaces were completely different, leading me to imagine a character: in the gardens, she appears and disappears without warning, with no clear origin or destination; on the bridge, she keeps moving forward, from the camera’s position toward the boundaries of the cinematic frame. I project these two videos onto adjacent sheer fabrics–one open and continuous, the other enclosed and intermittent. They appear fleetingly in the light, neither fully real nor fully illusory.
Triangle
Film, 2022, 9:47
The creation of Triangle started with texts: I compiled all of my memos from January to September 2021 into a single document and edited the final script in a way that felt like a conversation–sometimes directed at others, sometimes more like talking to myself. I envisioned images based on the script, hoping for the narrative to unfold in a home-like environment. In this setting, different pieces of texts would correspond to various actions of the person in the household, complementing each other’s expressions. In the editing room, I wanted to add some “syncopation” to the sequence’s rhythm. Thus, I cut together actions with similar states and feelings along the timeline, gradually creating some “flash-forwards” (as opposed to the usual “flashbacks”). A few jump cuts in the second half continue to slice this original unidirectional timeline, making “teleportation” moments possible–something unattainable in real life.
To, From
Display of performance documentation, behind-the-scene photographs, script, and manuscript
Expanded cinema/theater, 2023, 50:25
In my previous works, whether single-screen or dual-screen, regardless of the exhibition format, there was always only a single timeline. Introducing two parallel timelines was my intention at the very beginning of To, From. I combined film and live performance to present different segments of one story simultaneously to the audience. In terms of narrative, the first half of the film sets up the story, while the live performance in the second half serves as the conclusion. Meanwhile, the second half of the film uses continuous editing techniques to represent the events happening in the first of of the live performance, creating a dual function for each structural element.
Beyond exploring the timeline, I also aimed to create an impossible convergence of time and space through this dual “performance” format. I’ve always been fascinated by the expressive power of gestures and movements, incorporating bodily and environmental interactions into my work to varying degrees. In To, From, I chose to use dance to further explore physical expression. I wanted the coordination on screen to interact with the live staging, allowing the audience’s focus to shift between the two. This viewing experience is not just watching from beginning to end and reflecting back; it’s about feeling the “before” and “after” of the story continuously intersect and intertwine in the present.
Somewhere & In Between
Digital print on semi-sheer fabric (4×5 large-format photography), 2019-2021, 108x88x2 cm
These four Untitled works are selected from the Somewhere series (2019-2020) and the In Between series (2021). I view each photograph in these series as a node on its own timeline, freezing the moment the shutter was pressed while hinting at the possibilities before and after that moment. I capture and create different relationships between people, objects, and environments, shaping a balanced tension. The resulting image is both a reflection of reality and something beyond it.
解
Digital UV print on aluminum composite panel, 2024, 142×80 cm
The first iteration of the work “解 (jiě)” was presented as a three-channel video installation. I utilized my thoughts and feelings from the past two months as the conceptual process, composing a soundscape with recorded, collected, and scored sounds. Then, through the transitions and flow of sound, I envisioned the content and rhythm of my visuals. The three still images in this exhibition are taken from the three screens, representing the three stages of my state of mind. I hope to return to images themselves from an immersive, multi-sensory experience, to temporarily forget the meanings I have assigned to these images and their structural roles within their context, and to allow limited visual information to create a new narrative.
One, Two, One
Two-channel video installation, 2023, 15:25
I’ve always loved long takes, whether or not the camera is moving or there are characters in front of it. After creating many works with a cinematic editing mindset, emphasizing the continuity of time and space, I suddenly wanted to use the camera to simply observe time, editing together extended segments without contextual connections. I captured the transformations among water’s three states, faint light through a door crack, and a person holding the same posture… then intuitively arranged these segments on the timeline, allowing the two screens to converse with each other and using improvised sounds and melodies to evoke emotions. I didn’t conceive any narrative; instead, I hoped to create a dreamlike experience of reality and time through the images and sounds.
Exhibition Opening
November 17, 2024
Image Courtesy of Ni Art Museum
Artist Workshop: One Day Experimental Production
December 21, 2024
Image Courtesy of Ni Art Museum
FANXI SUN 孙凡浠 