About this event
Visual ArtJanuary 20–April 3, 2027 Salah J. Bachir New Media Wall Guest Curator: Simone Estrin
Chinese artist Cao Fei’s Isle of Instability is a two-channel time capsule of a moment that completely disrupted the way we all lived.
Originally commissioned in 2019 by Audemars Piguet Contemporary, Switzerland, and reconceived during the early months of the pandemic, this work asks us to confront the psychological and physical effects of confinement, as well as our longing to escape—experiences that today are not as distant as we would like to think.
Unable to return home to Beijing during the pandemic, Cao created the video in Singapore while stranded there with her nine-year-old daughter, Qing. Together they invite us into their intimate space. On one screen, Qing inhabits a makeshift island built from everyday objects, transforming the familiar into something strange and unexpected. On the other, the outside world adapts—or at least attempts to adapt. Barely any words are spoken; instead, an entrancing score creates an atmosphere that feels both dreamlike and unsettled.