The Deluge

In an atmosphere characterized by fleeting uncertainty and a suspended sense of time "The Deluge" marks the Italian debut of the artist Wang Pei (1989, China) at T293 Gallery.
The exhibition explores the tension between two seemingly opposite extremes: the transient and the apocalyptic. In particular, the language of ephemerality resonates with the Chinese term for “mayfly” (蜉蝣), an insect with an extraordinarily brief lifespan. However, transience does not imply insignificance; it is an intrinsic aspect of the natural order. Aristotle posited: “Even the ephemeral, despite its fleeting existence, is part of nature's design”. Likewise, human existence reflects this enduring condition: we navigate through history adrift, constructing meanings within the confines of our finite experience. Conversely, “The Deluge” traverses cultures and millennia as a symbol of destruction and rebirth. From biblical myths to the Epic of Gilgamesh, it embodies the cyclical pattern in which human civilization is obliterated, forgotten, and then reconstructed. Wang Pei finds resonance with this theme amidst the frescoes of Qusayr ‘Amra, perceiving it not merely as a natural catastrophe, but as a metaphor for an order that dissolves before it can be rewritten.
Trained in medieval studies and emerging from a wholly non-Western context, Wang experiences the Mediterranean world through a lens tinged with estrangement and alienation, echoing the clarity of Albert Camus in "The Stranger". “For me, the Mediterranean does not shape my cultural identity; rather, it constructs an emotional geography. It is not my origin, yet it teaches me to exist in a state of non-belonging”.
His artistic practice serves as a response to this temporality and historicity. His work delves into the concept of time, not only through materiality and technique but also through a profound philosophical meditation on light and form. By employing glazing techniques, methylcellulose, and egg-oil emulsion, his paintings evoke a stratified sense of time. This technical choice references ancient painting traditions while also engaging experientially with temporality within a contemporary framework. Through his art, Wang seeks new forms of expression among historical ruins, bridging the past and the present.
The series presented does not emerge from a singular source but unfolds gradually from a diverse array of stimuli. It begins with sensations of weightlessness: of time, body, and memory. “While reading Proust, I repeatedly dreamt of floating scenes, unanchored by chronology. This uncertain sense of time echoed the whirlpool of historical fragments I encountered in Spain. The figures in this series inhabit spaces without clear boundaries. They are neither drowning nor fleeing; they exist as witnesses to the unresolved narratives of time and history. For these bodies, to stay afloat in the deluge signifies an act of silent resistance: not to drown, not to advance, but simply to endure”.