Artist in academic dialogue with Nicholas Tsoutas  2PM-4PM

Opening speech from Dr Geoff Raby AO 4PM

This solo exhibition is one of material transformation. The artist uses harvested straw and rice as an artistic media to create pieces that span a wide range of materials and forms. The rice paper featured in the exhibition is made from straw fibres, while the ink used in the paintings is called "straw ink" and is derived from burning straw into ash by grinding it into an ultra-fine powder. Infused with deep personal meaning, the ink is applied to straw paper to form grand and evocative paintings. Straw, once regarded as a useless and easily discarded agricultural byproduct, is given new life in the artist’s hands. Through the language of art, it is reimagined as a tribute to nature and the process of regeneration.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a 4-meter-long ceramic rope work titled “Severed, Eternal”, was created specifically for REDBASE. In this piece, the artist situates the organic medium of straw within the broader context of history and time. The original straw was a highly degradable organic material, therefore, Shen preserves its form through ceramic. In doing so, he pays homage to its presence and celebrates the beauty and quiet lyricism through different phases of transformation. Within the logic of contemporary consumerism, such “useless grass” is often discarded without a second thought. Yet through the artist’s restorative labour, it is imbued with renewed reverence, revealing a deep and enduring connection between natural resources and humanity.