The Stallery is proud to present Artifice, a groundbreaking new exhibition by CHANG, opening on 24 May 2025. Coinciding with The Stallery’s 10th Anniversary in 2025, the series delves deep into the inherent conflicts within our modern existence, the passage of time, and the intersections between the natural and the artificial.

At its core, Artifice explores the concept of duality—how every aspect of life is made up of contradictions. This body of work, which began with an exploration of Chinese’s scholar’s rocks, evolved into an examination of nature, existence, and technology. Just as rocks tell the story of millions of years, through their shapes and textures, Artifice juxtaposes the purity of the natural form with the heresy of symbols from contemporary society.

The artist’s fascination with duality is reflected not only in the subject matter but also in the process itself. Months of painstaking work are distilled into an instant through the medium of screen printing, embodying the tension between the long and the short, the deliberate and the immediate. Sculptures that resemble Lingbi stones are cast in bronze and hollow within. The series is the artist’s most conceptual work to date, stripping away color, line, and excess to focus on form and concept. These minimalist pieces draw inspiration from ancient Chinese rock appreciation, which venerates the interplay of solid and void, of permanence and decay. Each piece holds a mirror to reality, revealing both authenticity and deception within it. 

Another highlight is the two 120 cm high handmade embroidery works that resembles a silkscreen print at first glance, but reveals its intricacy and craft upon closer inspection. The works on display not only celebrate Chinese craftsmanship but also engage the viewer’s instincts, encouraging deeper appreciation over time.

Set in an immersive environment that mimics an indoor Zen Garden, Artifice is a meditation on how technology in 2025, like life itself, is shaped by both creation and destruction. The artist’s use of contemporary symbols, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, rendered as artful scholar’s rocks, further emphasizes the tension between permanence and ephemerality, between what is natural and what is created by human hands.

“AI is the ultimate dichotomy,” says CHANG, artist and founder of The Stallery. “It’s dead, but it’s alive. This exhibition is about those kinds of conflicts—the human-made versus the natural, the new versus the old, the real versus the artificial. In this sense, every piece is a reflection of what it means to be human in an increasingly artificial world. I am proud to present Artifice, marking The Stallery’s milestone as we embark on the next chapter.”

Artifice opens on 24 May 2025 at The Stallery, with a reception from 11am-7pm. The exhibition will run through to 31 August 2025.