PART I – Preview

In the meticulously constructed poetic field of materiality shaped by artist Zheng Yi, the interaction between the individual and the primordial world is further deconstructed into “imprecise” sensuous imitation and “precise” rational interpretation. The divergence, displacement, and paradox between “Really” (i.e., the objective state of things as they are) and “Ought to be” (i.e., the ideal state things ought to achieve under possible conditions) form the central thread of Zheng’s creative practice. It is precisely the uncertainty inherent in the relationship between fact and value that constitutes the core meaning of “Fan-Darboda”: through capturing subtle differences and ruptures, Zheng attempts to reconstruct a wondrous, absurd, and even fantastical spatiotemporal realm—Darboda—thus leading the viewer into a speculative labyrinth interwoven with sensibility and rationality, idealism and reality. 

Within the “Fan-Darboda” series, painting and sculpture engage in dialogues and contestations, wherein the two-dimensional and three-dimensional merge in a form of near-synesthetic integration, anchored in the present moment. Although geometric forms—circles and squares in coexistence—constitute the foundational visual elements of his works, Zheng eschews rigid rules and formal symmetry, instead creating what resembles a deconstructed, enigmatic “container.” The juxtaposition of diverse materials—such as the mildness of wood, the cold hardness of aluminum, the transparency of acrylic, and the austere sheen of stainless steel—creates a tension between the mechanical texture of industrial substances and the flowing rhythms of organic forms. This contrast transcends the utilitarian function of ready-made materials as mere tools. 

The absurd narrative framework resembles an unresolved logical drama—neither striving for mechanical simulation of reality nor indulging in the illusory fantasy of symbols. Instead, it employs material as a medium and embraces deviation and misalignment as methods to confront the ambiguities of reality head-on. In Zheng’s practice, the spirituality, temporality, and spatiality break free from the material constraints and rational paradigms, opening up new interpretive dimensions and gesturing toward the infinite possibilities of heterogenous space-time. 

Written by Gene Gallery

PART II – Press Article

In 1955, at the age of fourteen, Argentine pianist Martha Argerich traveled to Vienna and officially began her studies under Austrian pianist Friedrich Gulda. As neither of them was fluent in the other’s language, they often resorted to speaking a hybrid of German and Spanish. When faced with gaps in vocabulary, they would even invent new words to convey meaning. Gulda referred to this invented language as “Pan-Romance.” 

Artist Zheng Yi draws inspiration from Gulda’s notion of “Pan-Romance,” and has accordingly “fabricated” his own unique linguistic system — “Fan-Darboda.” In Zheng’s view, encounters and communication between individuals and the world inevitably produce various forms of deviation and dislocation from the original state of being. It is precisely this “uncertainty” that captivates him. He keenly captures the subtle discrepancies and attempts to emulate the beauty, absurdity, and strangeness of these altered spatiotemporal experiences. Echoing Gulda’s naming, Zheng titled this solo exhibition “Fan-Darboda.” 

“We flip through books made of glass, yet see something else.” Zheng is fond of the Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer and sees a resonance between the poet’s vision and his own artistic methodology. Just as Tranströmer “sees” elsewhere, Zheng adopts imitation as his principal creative strategy—but his imitation targets not the “Really” (what is), but the ”Ought to be” (what should be). This imitation constitutes Zheng’s distinct approach to “seeing elsewhere.” He bypasses Plato’s denouncement of sensual imitation of the “eidos” (form), and instead, through his “Fan-Darboda,” offers a sophisticated interpretation of how “inaccurate” sensory imitation can be employed to “accurately” convey the deviations, dislocations, contingencies, and differences between ”Really” and “Ought to be.” 

Although Zheng was originally trained in traditional Chinese painting, he did not confine himself to the classical paradigms of landscape, flora, fauna, or figure painting. Rather, he is interested in the philosophy of history behind classical techniques, focusing on the self-sufficient and harmonious rural lifestyle of the fisherman, woodcutter, farmer, and scholar. The “Fan-Darboda” series may be viewed as a contemporary installation of Chinese Shanshui (Mountains and Waters). In this solo exhibition, Zheng presents several works with poetic and enigmatic titles, such as Ayahuasca and The Land Being Talked About. Their geometric forms, though combining circular and square elements, are not strictly regular or symmetrical, but instead follow Zheng’s sculptural logic developed early in his practice, thereby transcending the utilitarian nature of the readymade and gesturing toward new ontological possibilities in an“othered”world. 

Zheng’s earlier works primarily utilized materials such as wood, leather, wax, metal, bone, hair, matches, and light bulbs, which vary in hardness, softness, fluidity, flammability, or fragility. Although his early selection of materials often displayed a certain randomness and contingency, it was never merely bound to the materials’ physical properties. In recent works like The Skin and A Must-play Piece, Zheng continues his established sculptural logic while deliberately experimenting with new materials such as aluminum and stainless steel, to establish new paradigms and frameworks. They are not meant to represent a regression into the materiality of objects themselves, but rather to function as convenient methods through which Zheng can more effectively articulate his own “Fan-Darboda.” 

Since 2009, Zheng has consistently employed wooden boxes in his practice, which constitute another defining feature of the “Fan-Darboda” series. For him, the wooden box resembles both a passage and a doorway to an alternate space. This recalls Jacques Derrida’s re-examination of “parerga (the supplementary or accessory that is not the core work itself)” and “passe-partout (a boundary line that marks the difference or separation yet also allows for a crossing over)” in The Truth in Painting. Through his rediscovery of “parerga” and its deconstructive relation to the center, Derrida uncovered the “infinite” or “useless” codes that lie behind abstract or de-surfacing paintings. Similarly, during Zheng’s creation, the wooden box, which is originally considered a decorative element in art history as non-subject, becomes a key that dismantles and escapes established epistemologies. Its framing function enables Zheng’s work to freely oscillate between two-dimensionality and three- dimensionality, between painting and material object, much like the Fugues and Variations across Distinct Voices in the music of Bach. 

The Śūraṅgama Sūtra states: “Just as a man points at the moon with his hand to show it to others, those people, following the direction of his finger, ought to look at the moon itself.” In Buddhist philosophy, true enlightenment—being beyond words and appearances—is incommunicable, and must be approximated through metaphors like “pointing at the moon.” Similarly, Zheng’s invented language of “Fan-Darboda” represents his own form of incommunicable “uncertainty.” Though such uncertainty may not necessarily lead to Zen enlightenment, its richness in deviation, displacement, randomness, and difference still serve as a guidepost for viewers—leading them to experience a strange, beautiful absurdity, or perhaps even to create their own new dialects of “Fan-Darboda.”

Written by Luo Shiping

Venue
Gene Gallery, NO.4221, Longwu Road, Minhang District, Shanghai, China

Artist
Zheng Yi

Exhibition Dates
June 8 – July 20, 2025

Gallery Hours
Tuesday – Sunday | 11 AM – 7 PM

Website
https://gene-gallery.com

Instagram
@gene_gallery

Contact
shanghai@gene-gallery.com

About Writer

LUO SHIPING

Luo Shiping is an art writer, Ph.D. in Aesthetics jointly trained by Tongji University and the Universität Freiburg in Germany, and a board member of the Macau Smart City Arts Development Association. His research primarily focuses on philosophy of art and art criticism, philosophy of technology, modern German philosophy, and comparative studies of Eastern and Western thought. He has published numerous articles in core academic journals and art criticism magazines. In recent years, Luo has also been involved in curating various art exhibitions, providing academic support, and contributing critical essays. He has been invited to deliver lectures and participate in dialogues on art and philosophy at institutions such as the Chun Art Museum, Modern Art Museum Shanghai, MACA Art Center, Shanghai Bund Art Center, and Luxun Academy of Fine Arts.

ABOUT ARTIST

ZHENG YI

Instagram: yizheng535

Zheng Yi, born in 1980 in Tianjin, China, now lives and works in Beijing. He graduated from the

Chinese Painting Department of Tianjin Academy of Arts and Crafts in 2003. 

Zheng Yi’s artistic practice centers around the unique structure of the “box,” with a focus on the spatial presence of his works and the ways in which they foster dialogue between the artwork and its audience, evoking emotional and intellectual resonance. The Box series primarily explores themes of personal and collective memory, gradually developing into a coherent and self-contained system. To Zheng, the “box” serves as an innovative medium that lies between the two-dimensional and the three- dimensional, between painting and object. This structure not only reflects his own psychological framework, but also subtly corresponds to the inner worlds of the viewers. It simultaneously embodies a gesture of resistance and a sense of openness. 

Recent Solo Exhibitions: Fan-Darboda, Gene Gallery, Shanghai (2025); DarBoda, Tong Gellery + Projects, Beijing (2021); Steep Room, zapbeijing, Beijing, China (2018); 

Recent Group Exhibitions: Lunar Maria, W.ONESPACE, Shenzhen (2024); ASPHALT, Gene Gallery, Shanghai (2024); “As Above, So Below”, W.ONESPACE, Shenzhen (2023); Building Dreams, By Art Matters, Hangzhou (2022); a one and a two, Artists’ Book Exhibition, Anaya Art Center, Qinhuangdao (2020); on paper 2, White Space, Beijing (2018); Young Art 100, Beijing (2016); John Moore Painting Prize Exhibition, Hierarchy Museum, Shanghai (2014).

(Text and images courtesy of Gene Gallery)