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A Picnic by the Village
Curator:Yao Siqing
2026.03.18 - 03.23
Room 1201, Wanxia Centre, Nanshan, Shenzhen

MANGROVEGALLERY is pleased to present A Picnic by the Village, a group exhibition curated by Yao Siqing, bringing together more than thirty works by Cao Xiang, Deng Shanshan, JOJO, Renee Yu Jin, and Xiong Jiaxiang. The exhibition will open on 18 March 2026 at Room 1201, Wanxia Centre, Shenzhen, China.

The theme of the exhibition, “A Picnic by the Village”, was developed through the curator’s research, fieldwork, and in-depth engagement with the art ecosystem of the Greater Bay Area during her residency in Wanxia, Shenzhen. “By the village” refers both to the exhibition’s location adjacent to Wanxia Village – a site that epitomises the history of China’s Reform and Opening-up period – and, on a broader level, to Shenzhen itself, a city that has rapidly developed from a small fishing village. “Picnic” highlights an informal and relaxed mode of gathering, reflecting the diversity, openness, and relaxation that characterise the city’s cultural atmosphere.

As a vibrant immigrant city shaped by the ethos that “once you arrive, you are a Shenzhener”, the participating artists also embody diverse life experiences and educational backgrounds: Cao Xiang relocated from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region to Wutong Mountain in Shenzhen; Deng Shanshan is a Guangdong native; Renee Yu Jin is currently pursuing a PhD in the United States; Xiong Jiaxiang moved to Beijing after studying in Germany; and JOJO, a professional tattoo artist, moves fluidly between different parts of the world. In Shenzhen, local sensibilities and transnational experiences continually intersect, contributing to the city’s openness toward uncertainty. This exhibition not only forms a sensorial collage of impressions of the Greater Bay Area through the artists’ diverse practices, but also invites them to gather, settle in, and take part in this springtime picnic.

Curator

Yao Siqing

Dr. YAO Siqing studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (MA Art History) and Department of Chinese of Sun Yat-sen University (PhD Modern Literature). She now lives in Beijing and works as an independent scholar and curator. She focuses on History of Material Culture and Media Studies, tends to work with artists from different intellectual backgrounds, and looks forward to fostering a new sensual experience that connects and creatively transforms classical and early modern Chinese cultural resources in a global context. She is a long-time contributor to art publications such as Art-Ba-Ba and Art Review.