French artist's solo show honors China's diversity

French artist Antoine Espinasseau's latest solo exhibition, Yi Xing Bu Xing, recently opened at Yishu 8, an art platform housed in the former Sino-French University in Beijing, presenting a mysterious and thought-provoking body of work created during his spring residency in the capital.

The show, supported by luxury brand Boucheron, features five bronze sculptures and four inkjet prints developed during Espinasseau's time at Yishu 8.

A highlight of the exhibition is a striking installation: a large sheet of xuan paper suspended with a bronze sculpture at its center, offering a compelling visual welcome to visitors. The exhibition runs through July 18.

Espinasseau, born in 1986, trained as an architect and urban planner, graduating from the National School of Architecture of Versailles in 2010. His multidisciplinary practice combines collage, photography, mechanics, and sculpture — often in bronze — and has been exhibited across Europe.

In Beijing, Espinasseau immersed himself in local life, exploring classical Chinese gardens and bustling traditional markets. These encounters sparked a fascination with fruit — its form, scent, and cultural symbolism — eventually inspiring a series of sculptures and prints.

"A fruit is like a landscape," the artist said, noting that market visits offered glimpses into China's regional diversity.

He collected fruits such as dragon fruit and pomelo, observing their stages of decay under sunlight or in still environments. These studies culminated in the conceptual creation of an imaginary fruit — "a fruit that grows old before it ripens, as heavy as bronze, hollow like a skull, and forever suspended," as Espinasseau described it.

"Antoine Espinasseau's work carries a conceptual and often enigmatic quality," said Henry-Claude Cousseau, president of Yishu 8 Association and former director of the Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, in a foreword to the exhibition. "His art playfully bridges childhood reverie with a deep investigation of interior worlds."

The exhibition marks Espinasseau's first major presentation in China, following his recognition as a 2024 laureate of the Yishu 8 French Young Artist Award.