Drawing is at the core of Massinissa Selmani’s creations. Here, he treats the exhibition as one giant drawing, sweeping the viewer up in a series of light-hearted and fascinating drawings, animations, and installations. Selmani shifts between mediums in a search for the expression of space and potential in drawing.
Though the forms are simple, Selmani’s works are always touching on key historical, cultural, and social topics. The intentional blank spaces and unfinished lines in the works, like the detached backgrounds, are important components of the works. When making preparatory sketches, the artist often begins with press photographs taken from newspapers, extracting the elements of truth and removing background information to intentionally produce a sense of “something missing,” inviting the viewer to draw from their own memory associations and visual references to interpret for themselves. His artworks do not engage in direct criticism, but use humor and satire to reexamine memories that have been overlooked or marginalized in the process of historical transitions.
This exhibition is organized by Assistant Curator Gao Liangjiao and Associate Curator Wu Yiyang at the Aranya Art Center.
Chen Ruofan

Botanical Bank: 54 Objects Transplanted
2023
Stainless steel, LED, video
400 × 400 × 400 cm
55:92 min.
Commissioned and produced by aranya plein air art project 2023
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project
Robert Mapplethorpe

Self Portrait
1981
Silver gelatin print
58.5 × 61 × 3.2 cm (framed)
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project
© Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.
Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London · Paris · Salzburg · Seoul
Haegue Yang

Migratory DMZ Birds on Asymmetric Lens - Duiitt Duiitt Vessel (Gray-Backed Thrush)
2020
Soapstone, 3D printed resin
158 × 89 × 147 cm
Installation view, aranya plein art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of the artist, Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
and aranya plein air art project
Christine Sun Kim

A Permanent Tourist In A Foreign Language
2023
Inkjet printing on stainless-steel sign post
225 × 150 cm × 7 parts
Commissioned and produced by aranya plein air art project 2023
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project