SWANFALL GALLERY is pleased to present Panta Rhei (Πάντα ῥεῖ), a dual exhibition inspired by the Heraclitean notion that "everything flows." Through the works of artists Li Shuangqiang and Ma Jiayue, the exhibition unfolds as a visual inquiry into time, existence, and deconstruction, exploring the tensions between order and dissolution, permanence and transience. Li Shuangqiang deconstructs the iron cage of reason through watercolour and cascading pixel fractures, while Ma Jiayue depicts the fragility and poetry of memory in flux beneath the soft diffusion of graphite. This is both a microscopic observation of existence and a declaration of eternity within the fleeting moment
The tension between lightness and weight, the interplay of stillness and movement, and the fractures of order dissolving into chaos together weave a sense of fluid permanence. The works of both artists function like two mirrors, capturing fleeting yet intimate moments where time momentarily stands still. As shifting perspectives disrupt established ways of seeing, the fundamental nature of existence is laid bare
LI SHUANGQIANG | THE GREAT MINDS
Born in 1992 and currently based in Beijing, Li Shuangqiang engages with the intellectual legacies of Max Weber, Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel Foucault, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft in his series The Great Minds (Philosophers, Artists, and Writers). Rooted in his extensive reading and research, these works take philosophical and literary texts as conceptual references, translating them into a visual language that extends beyond words
Portraiture has traditionally served as a medium of commemoration and identity, capturing both the individual and their intellectual imprint. In this series, Shuangqiang constructs a space where thought and image converge, responding to these thinkers through an interplay of presence and dissolution. Employing acrylic spray techniques, he deliberately rejects precise contours, creating a visual language of blurring, diffusion, and flux. His portraits emerge and recede in an ephemeral state, mirroring the way ideas continuously evolve through history and personal interpretation
Nietzsche’s portrait reflects his "God is dead" declaration and the existential rupture it provoked, revealing the modern individual’s crisis in the face of nihilism. Poe and Lovecraft, rendered in dark, haunting atmospheres, explore themes of death and the unknown - Poe’s obsession with mortality manifests in decayed and deteriorating imagery, while Lovecraft’s abstract forms evoke humanity’s insignificance in the vast cosmos, invoking a deep existential dread. Weber and Foucault are depicted through layered and structured compositions, exposing the concealed mechanisms of society and power - Weber’s critique of rationalisation and the "Iron Cage" is expressed through compressed, oppressive visual structures, while Foucault’s deconstruction of knowledge and power unfolds through fragmented, shifting imagery, reflecting the fluid nature of truth and control. The textured layers, fractured edges, and shifting light in Shuangqiang’s works are not merely stylistic choices; they symbolise the ambiguity and multivalence inherent in the dissemination, reception, and reinterpretation of ideas. These portraits are not direct representations of historical figures but rather personalised interpretations shaped by the artist’s own intellectual engagement
This series stands as a visual response to philosophical and literary discourse, offering a tangible manifestation of his conceptual framework. Thought is no longer static but in a state of perpetual flux. Through art, ideas transcend the confines of the written words, continuously shifting between clarity and obscurity, presence and disappearance - persisting, evolving, and ultimately regenerating through their intersections
MA JIAYUE | LIGHTNESS AND WEIGHT
Ma Jiayue (b. 1996, based in Wuhan) presents Light and Weight, a series that explores the dynamics of perception, existence, and choice. Rather than defining light or weight as fixed opposites, the series examines the way individuals navigate and gravitate toward these states
Operating within a surrealist framework, Jiayue’s works transcend symbolic narrative to reconstruct perceptual experience. Using a minimal yet precise visual language, he creates psychological spaces that are both ambiguous and structurally coherent. A drifting moon shadow between beds, the enigmatic presence of a gift - these elements reference tangible realities yet remain untethered from conventional context. Suspended between reality and illusion, they invite the viewer to oscillate between familiarity and estrangement, perception and experience
Through compositional uncertainty, Jiayue dissolves physical laws, allowing weight and lightness to merge, while light, texture, and spatial relationships construct delicate contrasts between solidity and void. His meticulous control of form and shading creates a restrained yet highly charged visual tension, reinforcing the interplay between presence and absence
Light and Weight ultimately centres on the transient nature of experience and the fluidity of choice. Rather than offering fixed resolutions, the series unfolds as a dialogue at the threshold - where perception shifts, actions diverge, and the interplay between reality and illusion is not merely observed, but actively lived, shaped, and redefined
- Pandora Wang, Curator