“Window Within Window”
Song Dong
14 Jun-30 Jun, 2024
The Hermès Maison in Shanghai, Shanghai

“Artist Song Dong’s collaboration with Hermès Maison in Shanghai revolves around the theme and concept of the window. In abandoned ruins left behind by over a decade of urban renewal, Song discovered windows, as objects, to be a sort of living thing, connecting the inside to the outside, allowing spaces to breathe. Song’s creative practice with the material of windows incorporates themes of region and culture. Windows not only connect spaces, but also enable observation and function as mirrors. In this Hermès project, Song broadens and deepens the scope of this work, shedding light on the diversity of culture and types of relationships between different cultures, seen and unseen. Amongst an environment of global consumerism and enterprise, Song attempts to encourage different forms of integration, while maintaining a keen sensitivity to conflicts. Another noteworthy aspect of this project is the serendipitous connection between Hermès, who originates in the horse harness production, and Song, who views the horse as a symbol and a zodiac sign imbued with multiple meanings. This coincidence prompted Song to leave a subtle reference to horses in this collaborative project. It is both historical and tangible, yet also communal and transcendent. It forms a basis on which we can develop the shared value of integration to move away from conflict.”

Leng Lin
_

images: installation views of Song Dong_Window Within Window_2024, courtesy of Hermès Maison in Shanghai