The Consolation of Clinamen

Ana Benavides, Johannes Bosisio, Kolja Kärtner Sainz, Cheri Smith, C. Lucy R. Whitehead, Eva Yi Zhang, and Leah Tianyue Zhong.
15 July, 2023 – 26 August, 2023
Beijing

Tabula Rasa Gallery is excited to announce The Consolation of Clinamen, a group exhibition featuring the works of seven emerging artists at our Beijing Space. Curated by Zhang Jiarong, the exhibition will open on July 15, 2023. The participating artists include Ana Benavides, Johannes Bosisio, Kolja Kärtner Sainz, Cheri Smith, C. Lucy R. Whitehead, Eva Yi Zhang, and Leah Tianyue Zhong.

Contemporary artwork often challenges our familiar notions by introducing subtle deviations that prompt us to reconsider the meaning behind the work. In a Deleuzean sense, this deviation, or "swerve," implies a consciousness that surpasses our ordinary comprehension. The works showcased in this exhibition possess the quality of such a swerve, where the materiality, art form, image, and narrative of each piece seem to veer off course.

Ana Benavides and C. Lucy R. Whitehead explore the emotions, drives, and uncertainties residing within the human body. Kolja Kärtner Sainz and Johannes Bosisio present images that hover between figuration and abstraction, emphasizing the separation of meaningful connotations from their pictorial representation. Cheri Smith's delicate and small-scale works offer an exquisite sensitivity to the material. Through intricate details and diminutive size, Smith's pieces invite viewers to appreciate the delicate nature of the materials used. Eva Yi Zhang continues her exploration of the female body as the central theme, representing parts of the body with shattered steel, blocks of wood, and thorns, or expressing personal experiences of pain through piercing and pulling, which serves as a reimagining of female identity. Tianyue Zhong's pieces depict narratives from historical photographs, blending elements of abstraction and figuration to create a sporadic stream of consciousness that diverges from fixed personal memories.

Overall, the artists in this exhibition offer viewers a series of deviations that challenge conventional interpretations. The exhibition aims to evoke an intention in viewers to capture fleeting moments beyond our imaginable continuum and find pleasure that transcends any predefined frameworks.

The exhibition is accompanied by the text “The Consolation of Clinamen” by curator Zhang Jiarong. 
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About the Artists


Ana Paula García Benavides (b.1996, Mexico) is an artist based in London. Benavides completed her BA in Advertising and Marketing Communications at Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in 2018 and MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in 2023.




Johannes Bosisio (b.1994, Italy) is an artist based in London. He completed the Diploma in Fine Art Painting at Weissensee School of Art Berlin in 2019 and MA in Fine Art Painting at the Royal College of Art and Design in 2022.
Kolja Kärtner Sainz (b.1998, Germany) is an artist based in Leipzig. He is currently pursuing his BA in Fine Art at the Academy of Fine Art Leipzig.


Cheri Smith (b.1991, UK) is an artist based in London. She completed her BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Norwich University of the Arts in 2013 and her Post-graduate Degree in Drawing at Royal Drawing School in 2018, where she was awarded the Trustees Prize.

Leah Tianyue Zhong (b.1994, China) is an artist based in Los Angeles, USA. Zhong completed her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018 and her MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in 2020.