Trust Fall
Artist: Liao Wen
Mar 22 – Jun 15, 2025
MACA Art Center
706 Beiyi St, 798 Art Zone, No. 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
MACA will present the first institutional solo exhibition Liao Wen: Trust Fall by the artist Liao Wen, on view from March 22 through June 15, 2025, featuring her new sculptures and a site-specific installation that investigate the complex dynamics of friction or fusion between fluid identities and social systems.
"Trust fall" is a game of fear and trust. One person stands with their back to the group and falls backward, expecting to be caught by the others. The game is intended to amplify the sense of interdependence in moments of vulnerability to deepen mutual trust. Central to the exhibition is the eponymous installation Trust Fall (2023–2025), a representation of this game: the inclined human figure on the steel stage is restrained by a rope connected to its chest, suspended in a delicate balance within intense tension. Visitors are invited to climb the staircase or walk beneath the installation, shifting their identities and experiences in the act of moving.
The exploration of insecurity in the work stems from the artist's experience of relocation in recent years and her contemplation of social alienation, her concern for the living conditions of marginalized communities, as well as her reflections on the intersection of living spheres of different social communities. The exhibition space is designed to resemble an urban transit system, constructing specific temporary rules with turnstiles and barriers. The interactive sculpture Wanderer (2024-2025) sometimes blocks the path, acting as an obstacle as visitors move through the space. The possibility of detaching from the system, however, remains ever-present; whether to adhere to or transgress the established order is left for each participant to explore and decide.
The materials and forms in Liao Wen's works are deeply rooted in her training in puppet-making and performance. Similar to her previous works, the wooden sculptures in this exhibition are handcrafted and painted by the artist, with limewood as the medium of expression, endowing the inanimate humanoids with the tension inherent in human existence. Trust Fall continues Liao Wen's ongoing investigation into the theme of "liminality," examining how the "threshold body"—navigating between crisis and trust, harm and protection—achieves counterbalance and resistance. Through the exhibition, the artist recounts the experience of adaptation and rejection between individuals and their surroundings, while posing a question: Are our bodies and minds still confined within an established system?
信任坠落
艺术家：廖雯
2025 .3.22 – 6.15
MACA艺术中心
MACA于2025年3月22日至6月15日呈现艺术家廖雯的首次机构个展“廖雯：信任坠落”，以其最新创作的雕塑与参照MACA一层空间设计的特定场域装置，探讨身份流动与社会系统间摩擦或融合的复杂关系。
“信任坠落”是关于恐惧与信赖的游戏。一人背对人群，向后仰倒，期待他人将自己接住，其意图在于通过放大处于危险时产生的依赖感受，从而增进彼此的信任。展厅中央的同名装置《信任坠落》（2023-2025）是对于这一游戏的复刻：金属台上倾斜的人形雕塑由其胸口连接的绳索牵制，在紧绷之中保持平衡姿态。观看者可以爬至阶梯上，或在装置下穿行，于走动间切换不同的身份与体验。
作品中有关不安感的探寻源自艺术家近年的移居经历与被社会异化的感触，亦涉及她对于边缘群体生活境况的关注，以及针对不同人群的生存空间如何交叠的思考。展场的设计模拟城市中的通行系统，以闸机和围栏构建起临时的规则。可推动的雕塑《漂泊者》（2024-2025）时而阻挡道路，成为观众行进中的障碍。然而脱离系统的方式始终在场，遵循或跨越秩序，由展览的参与者试验与选择。
艺术家创作中的材料运用与形态塑造，大多出自其研习木偶制作与表演的经验。与以往作品类似，此次展出的木质雕塑同样由她手工打磨与上色，以椴木为媒介，将人类生存的张力赋予无生命的类人形态。“信任坠落”延续廖雯对于“阈限”这一主题的思考，旨在探索居于危机与信任、伤害与保护之间的“临界之躯”如何进行制衡与抵抗。艺术家在展览中复述着人与周遭环境磨合或排斥的体验，也尝试发问：我们的身体与思维，是否仍然囿于某个既定的系统之中？
exhibition booklet
exhibition webpage
exhibition review by Yuan Chen in ArtReview China
featured in ArtAsiaPacific Shows to See in Beijing 2025
featured in Mousse Magazine Beijing Oomph 2025
exhibition webpage
exhibition review by Yuan Chen in ArtReview China
featured in ArtAsiaPacific Shows to See in Beijing 2025
featured in Mousse Magazine Beijing Oomph 2025