Who Is Who?

By Sophia Wang

Upon entering the exhibition Who is Who?, visitors will not encounter any artworks. The 68 works of art by 68 artists—varying in size, material, and form—are entirely concealed in identical white boxes mounted on the walls. Each box is offered at the fixed price of 3,888 RMB. To participate in the exhibition is simple: take the list of the exhibiting artists, select any box, purchase it, and open it. Only then would the artwork be “unsealed,” and after which, it will be put on display in the gallery for the remainder of this month-long exhibition. In this sense, the exhibition’s final appearance is “co-created” by all participating artists and by those who purchase and reveal the artworks.

The roster of artists for this show resembles a compact ecosystem of the contemporary Chinese art world, in which one would find established artists known to the general public; “mid-career wave-makers” currently propelling new currents with sharp and incisive practices; and “those emerging with potential” who have not yet entered broad public view but radiate strong vitality. Together, they form the genetic pool of this exhibition.

Upon receiving this unusual set of “instructions” for participation, the artists selected their works based on their understanding of the exhibition’s logic. Some approached it intuitively as an experiment, creating entirely new works derived from the game of “concealment and revelation.” Some treated it as a name card, choosing the piece that most strongly represents their practice. Others took the opportunity to break free from familiar creative patterns and stage an unexpected “stylistic escape.” Thus, each box contains, first and foremost, a dialogue between the artist and their own artistic identity. The work inside is both the artist’s “child” and, through the rules of the exhibition, a “discrete commodity.” Before being revealed, its value and meaning are provisionally filled by the buyer’s motivations and imagination. The artwork lies quietly in the box, waiting to be activated—from an “unknown object” into the key protagonist of an “artistic event.”

Facing boxes with undisclosed content, how do participants decide what to buy? This transaction operates like a mirror, reflecting the diverse motivations that shape people’s engagement with art: Is the choice based on loyalty and trust toward a well-known artist, or on curiosity about the unknown possibilities behind an unfamiliar name? Is it a hope that 3,888 RMB might yield a surprising discovery worth far more, or a speculative bet on future potential? And what if the result fails to meet expectations? In any case, perhaps that is precisely the unexpected affinity that exceeds any estimation.

As time passes, the gallery will gradually grow from endless open possibilities into a space of concrete form. And when all boxes are eventually opened and all works installed, many questions may still remain without definitive answers. But one thing will be certain: the “authors” of this exhibition include not only the 68 artists, but also every participating buyer. Here, art emerges as a practice of trust, of co-creation, and of granting life—shared between those who make and those who witness.

To collect contemporary art today is, in essence, to collect an undefined future. We stake our present on participating in writing its history. So, are you ready—to welcome a future that is open, and one that you yourself will help unveil?