BOOTH F3
REDBASE showcase two installations by famous Chinese Australian artist Shen Shaomin taken from his recent museum exhibitions in China.

Chinese Carp
150 years ago, the Eurasian Carp were introduced into Australia as a food source that has become a cause of concern since the 1960s after they escaped into the Murray-Darling River. Due to their aggressive adaptability and astonishing reproductive rate, they have created severe ecological imbalances. From here, they quickly spread as a pest across southeastern Australian waterways. For Chinese Australian artist Shen Shaomin, the carp then became a metaphor for human invasiveness into the natural order of things.

The carp is also the national fish of China, where they symbolise good fortune, happiness, and resilience in traditional culture. Yet on an ecological level, it takes on a complex contradiction. In this installation, the artist uses electronics and simulated silicone to construct a large-scale installation made up of hundreds of mechanical carp. Their faint breathing and subtle struggles place them between simulation and reality, creating an ecological warning. 

The artist seals the simulated carp into industrial cans, a gesture suspended between protection and confinement. It prompts us to consider: when life is commodified, is it being preserved or dissolved? Through this act of reconstruction and displacement, the artist reflects on the ongoing degradation of the natural ecosystem and makes a cautionary tale about the relationship between humanity and nature.

Severed, Eternal
The 4-meter-long ceramic rope work is titled “Severed, Eternal”. In this piece, Shen Shaomin situates the organic medium of straw within the broader context of history and time. The original straw was a highly degradable organic material; therefore, he preserves its form through ceramic. In doing so, he 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.

The painting is a showcase of material transformation. Shen Shaomin uses harvested rice straw and burnt rice husks as artistic media to create pieces that span a wide range of materials and forms. Straw, once regarded as a useless and easily discarded agricultural by-product, 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.