THE HARTZ PROJECT Presents Group Exhibition: Even Though I Forgot My Name

Poster credit: THE HARTZ PROJECT

HONG KONG (July 2026) — THE HARTZ PROJECT is pleased to present Even Though I Forgot My Name, the inaugural exhibition at its new gallery space at M PLACE in Hong Kong. Opening on 18 July and running until 29 August 2026, this group show features seven Asian female artists: Yongqi Tang, LiuXin, Xiangjie Rebecca Wu, Kyungmin Jean Lee, Alexis Jang, Ruxin, and Goyona Jung. The exhibition explores the intricate geometries of self-discovery, questioning what remains of the soul when external noise fades and the labels we carry dissolve.

It is a journey inward to the centre of being. We do not seek definition; we seek essence. Operating on the philosophical threshold where the social self ends and the true self begins, shedding our given names is not an act of erasure, but a profound awakening—a return to an untamed, eternal truth. The exhibition weaves a collective consciousness field across various distinct spiritual coordinates of selfexploration.

Yongqi Tang, The Stage Builder, 2026, Oil on canvas, 134.5 x 76 cm

It begins within the ether of memory, where artists crystallize fleeting emotional currents and nostalgic anchors, tracing the invisible threads that tie our current souls to past spaces. In The Stage Builder, Yongqi Tang depicts herself operating a puppet show—a compelling visual metaphor that centres her ongoing investigation into the social construction of identity. By framing herself as the architect of this miniature theater, she deconstructs the performative nature of the self within both private and public spheres. Having lived and worked between China and the United States, the artist utilizes the theatricality of puppetry to mirror the tension of navigating drastically different cultural and ideological contexts. Suspended in a liminal state between the alienation from her homeland and the displacement of her current settlement, she examines how immigrants construct and perform identities under the impact of surrounding conditions. By positioning herself as both the structural “stage builder” and the subject being manipulated, the piece powerfully exposes the fluidity of self-image, challenging the rigid categories into which we are born.

Then the journey moves deeper into the subconscious gateway, utilizing the surreal topography of dreams to dissolve the boundaries of logic and unearth the raw, luminous realities hidden in our sleeping minds. Drawing inspiration primarily from her dreams, Liu Xin dissects the raw psychological landscape of human intimacy in this series of works. Utilizing the metaphor of a contorted, thorn covered cactus, her work captures the delicate tension of closeness—the constant internal conflict between the sting of a shared embrace and the absolute suffocation of isolation. This fragile dynamic extends onto a symbolic seesaw, stripping away romantic idealism to expose a silent power struggle of endless compromises and emotional deadlocks. Ultimately, the cycle culminates in a desolated landscape where two numb figures cling together. With all active passion dissolved, they are reduced to cold, plaster-like casts, remaining bound to one another purely through the weight of psychological inertia.

Ru Xin, Self Portrait, 2025, Sculpture, oil on canvas, 50 x 50 x 50 cm

Ru Xin creates imagery that hovers between the tangible and the intangible. Grounded in a dreamlike blue narrative tone, her work condenses perception and energy through the fluid shifts of gradients and light spectrums. Cultivated from a young age by a deep familial legacy in literature and art, she naturally internalized Eastern philosophical thought. Her subsequent international education and training at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) sharpened her grasp of Western logical frameworks. Operating at the intersection of these two distinct paradigms, she glimpses a higher-dimensional source where both worlds merge. It is within this subtle, translucent tension that her visual language unfolds. Driven by a continuous inquiry into the universal values of life’s origin, Ru Xin utilizes the canvas as a medium to guide viewers toward a metaphysical spiritual realm that transcends mere surface appearances.

The journey also grounds itself in the primal pulse of existence. In Standing between Mountains and Poppy Fields, Alexis Jang frames the instinctual, boundless sanctuary of maternal love as a cosmic force, translating this bond into a breathtakingly quiet, visual refuge. The painting depicts a mother cradling her child amidst the silent majesty of nature—a tender scene framed by the vastness of mountains and the soft rustle of a poppy field. Here, the maternal embrace is elevated beyond a simple personal memory; it is treated as an elemental proof of being realized through the act of nurturing. Suspended between realism and romantic symbolism, the landscape serves as an introspective window into a fading, nostalgic space. By anchoring this fleeting moment of intimacy within the continuous cycles of the natural world, the work offers the viewer a silent space for contemplation—capturing a connection that is simultaneously fragile, timeless, and profound.

To lose our place in the material world is to find our home in the cosmos. We welcome you to forget who you were told to be, and simply remember that you are.