Introduction
Yuanyu Li 李沅鈺
About the Artist
藝術家簡介
Conceptual Seeds
構思之種
Wing Po So 蘇詠寶
Acknowledgements 鳴謝
Introduction
If you open the drawers of a Chinese medicine cabinet, you will not only feel the texture of the wood beneath your fingertips but also sense the layers of history, memory, and transformation embedded within. This simple action sparks a dialogue between the past and the present. By examining cycles of transformation, care, and persistence, the exhibition ʻTake Turnsʼ encourages viewers to reflect on the intricate interconnections between humans and the natural world.
Wing Po Soʼs artistic practice is deeply rooted in her upbringing within a family-run Chinese medicine shop. Childhood memories of medicinal plants and materials are woven into the fabric of her artistic identity. Surrounded by the sensory richness of the pharmacy̶grinding herbs, smelling dried plants, handling powders and roots̶these experiences have left lasting imprints on Soʼs approach to artmaking. These formative encounters shape her relationship to materials, making her highly attuned to a holistic philosophy of the natural world through her connection to Chinese medicine.
At the heart of the exhibition are drawers salvaged from defunct Chinese pharmacies in Hong Kong. These drawers bear the marks of use̶weathered wood, lingering herbal fragrances and faded inscriptions. So reimagines these objects, reconfiguring them and disrupting their original order to create
a flowing series of self-generated structures. The exhibitionʼs title refers not only to the wooden forms that hold the drawers together as they unfurl as an ever-growing maze in the gallery space, but also to the idea that each drawer is a portal into the unknown, a microcosm waiting to be explored by the viewer. In this way, So transforms the drawers that are crucial to the daily operation of Chinese pharmacies into a space of transformative healing.
The immersive installation integrates Chinese herbs, rocks, kinetic sculptures, 3D-printed objects, sonic rhythms and more, creating an ecosystem where the organic and inorganic, animate and inanimate converge. As a world-within- world, each drawer contains a distinct notion in relation to a collection of diverse materials. Fruit seeds encased in transparent glass vessels mimic specimens of organs, inviting reflection on the delicate relationship between human life and nature. Mounds of finely ground herbal powders form intricate patterns and colour gradients that evoke natureʼs ever-changing landscapes as So shifts between microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. Insect-ridden beans and leaves suggest the relationship of symbiotic life forms as they undergo cycles of growth and entropy. So also explores human-made materials, such as 3D-printed rocks that are mixed in with real rocks and repurposed leftovers from the printing process, transforming discarded materials into new, life-like sculptures. These interventions invite a reconsideration of often-overlooked negative spaces, with imprints of seed shapes in plastic, leaving behind spectral traces that reflect lifeʼs fleeting nature.
Suggesting a movement between the biological and mechanical, a chain of abalone shells claps irregularly to mimic the sound of breathing. Magnetic forces animate beans' movement, revealing hidden energies beneath their surfaces. In Soʼs video works, repetitive hand motions simulate traditional Chinese
medicine techniques such as pounding, sieving and sorting, rhythmic actions that echo the pulse of life as raw materials are processed and transformed. These rhythms, at times evoking breathing or heartbeats, serve to enhance the exhibitionʼs examination of species, systems and interconnected ecosystems of seemingly disparate entities. Through these movements, the works invite the audience to reconsider the invisible forces that shape and give life to our world, creating a dialogue between the processes of the natural world and their evolution with the human body.
ʻTake Turnsʼ suggests a logic of fluidity, where energy exchanges, shifts in states, and cycles of patterns and forms are in constant flux. The medicine drawers are no longer merely containers. For So, they act as portals to collective histories, while also evoking personal memories of familiarity, nostalgia and curiosity. So has transformed the exhibition space into a laboratory, a generative playground where objects and materials evolve and engage in countless interactions, activating myriad possibilities that unfold before the viewer. Through the weaving of processes and systems, the exhibition creates a space where transformation and a spontaneous order are both experienced and witnessed, offering reflections on the interconnectedness of all things.
當你打開百子櫃的 抽 ，指尖觸 的不僅是木材的質 感，更是歷史、記憶 與轉變的層疊。這一簡單的動作開 啟了過去與當下的對話。展覽「迭步」透過審視「轉化」、「療 癒」與「延續」的循環，引領觀衆思索人與自然間繁複的共生 關係。
蘇詠寶的藝術實踐深受其中醫藥世家背景影響。對 而
言，童年記憶中的藥材氣味與質感早已編織成其藝術基因 的經緯。藥坊的感官浸潤 研磨藥材的觸感、乾燥植物 的氣息、藥粉與根莖的質地 凝塑了
彙。蘇詠寶透過中醫哲學建立起對物質世界的全息感知， 並以高度敏銳的物料意識貫穿創作。
拾獲自香港倒閉中藥舖的百子櫃構成展覽軸心。這些帶着 使用痕跡的木櫃 風化的木紋、殘存的 藥香、褪色 的墨跡 被藝術家解構重組，打破原有 的秩序邏 輯，形成不斷自我衍生的流動結構。展覽名稱「 迭 步」既指 層層嵌套的百子櫃在展場中如永續生長的迷宮般輪轉交
疊，也暗 喻 每個抽 都是通向未知的入口，一扇通向微觀 世界的門。因此，維持中藥舖日常運作的載體於展覽內成為 了蛻變、療癒的場域。
浸式裝置作品融合中藥材、石塊、動態雕塑、3D打 印物件、聲音等元素，構建出有機與無機、生命體與非 生命體交匯的生態系統。每個抽 宛若嵌套的微觀世 界，承載 着不同物質集群的觀念實驗：封存於透明 器皿的果 核如器官標本，引發對人與自然脆弱關係 的凝視；精細研磨的藥粉堆疊出複雜的景觀，在微觀 與宏觀的視角間切換，讓人聯想到更 迭 的自然地貌；蟲 蝕的豆莢與葉脈訴說共生體的成長與 熵 變。人造物亦 為蘇詠寶探索的範疇之一
真石混入3D打印岩石， 而打印過程的副產品則被 用打造成嶄新、栩栩如生
的雕塑。藝術家對物料的介入將觀者的視線聚焦於常被 忽視的負空間 正如塑膠上的種子印痕警示着生命的 稍縱即逝。
一串鮑魚殼以不規則開合模擬呼吸節律，既是生理運動 亦是機械運動；磁力牽引豆莢擺盪，揭露物質表層下的隱 性能量。蘇詠寶的 錄像作品中，重複的手部動作模 擬中藥製作過程的 搗、篩、揀 這些富有生命律動
的儀式，與展場中此起彼落的呼吸聲和心跳聲產生共鳴， 進一步審視物種、系統與生態的網絡。透過物質運動，作
品邀請觀者重新感知塑造世界的隱形力量，在自然 變與 人體脈動間建立對話。
｢ 迭 步」提出一種流動的邏輯：能量交換、型態流 變與 模式循環始終處於動態平衡。百子櫃抽 不再僅 是容
器，對蘇詠寶而言，它們既是通向集體記憶的門，亦牽動着 私密的懷舊與好奇。展覽現場被轉化為實驗場域，物質在 此進化、交纏，激發無盡可能性。透過過程與系統的交織，
展覽創造出一個見證轉化與自發秩序的現場，為觀者提供 思萬物相連的契機。
Wing Po So (b.1985, Hong Kong) currently lives and works in Hong Kong, draws heavily on her upbringing and knowledge of traditional Chinese herbal medicine to create conceptually driven artworks. Soʼs work synthesises the disparate fields of international contemporary art and traditional Chinese medicine, locating a shared concern for the natural environment.
She has participated in various art institutions, biennials, and triennials. Soʼs recent major projects include: solo exhibition ʻSix-part Practiceʼ at Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong in 2018; 2023 Shanghai Biennale; 2023 Taipei Biennale; 2024 Asian Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition at Taipei Ju Ming Museum; 2024 Shanghai Jingʼan International Sculpture Exhibition; 2023 First Trans-Southeast Asia Triennial; 2023 Hyundai Blue Prize Art+Tech exhibition; the 2023 X Museum Triennial; 2022 Kathmandu Triennale; and solo exhibition ʻFrom the Body to the Body Through the Bodyʼ at de Sarthe, Hong Kong in 2019.
Recent projects include ʻFragrance of Timeʼ at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, a commissioned work for The Henderson Arts, a group exhibition at Para Site in Hong Kong, and Shanghai Pearl Museum. Her recent work was covered by Art Asia Pacific, The Art Newspaper, The Art Newspaper, and ArtPress. In 2018, she published an artist book titled From Space to Space; in 2021, a photography book titled Invisible Island; and in 2021, she published a visual essay ʻThe Making of Voidsʼ in the Garage Journal. So is currently the Executive Director of the non-profit community organisation, FabLab Hong Kong.
蘇詠寶（ 1985 年生於香港），現於香港工作及生活。蘇詠寶 靈巧地善用成長環境所帶來得天獨厚的養分，亦即將傳 統中醫藥材與當代藝術進行結合。 的作品融合看似遊 走歷史軸線兩端的創新與傳統，發展出一連串對人類世 的探討。
曾參與多個藝術機構、雙年展和三年展的展覽。蘇詠寶 近年的主要項目包括：2018 年香港大館當代美術館委任個 展「六種練習」；2023 年上海雙年展「宇宙電影」；2023 年台 北雙年展「小世界」；2024 年朱銘美術館「亞洲當代雕塑 展：方物」；2024 年上海靜安國際雕塑展；2023 年首屆泛 東南亞三年展「博物之知」；2023 年 Hyundai Blue Prize Art+Tech「 劇變生態」；2023 年 X 美術館三年展「縈繞之 所」；2022 年加德滿都三年展；2019 年德薩畫廊個展「由體 而始，至體而成，自體而過」。
近期項目包括：香港藝術館「尋香記」; The Henderson Arts 委任創作；香港 Para Site 藝術空間群展；上海明珠 美術館群展。蘇詠寶之主要藝評於亞太藝術雜誌、藝源、 The Art Newspaper 、 ArtPress 中刊出。在 2018 年，蘇詠 寶出版藝術家書籍《微物萬狀》；2021 年出版攝影集《透 明島嶼》；2021 年發表影像文章《製作虛空》於莫斯科 Garage Journal 期刊。蘇詠寶現是非營利社區組織「香港 製作家空間」的執行董事。
About the Artist
藝術家簡介
In this section, So shares her thoughts and notes, referred to as ʻseedsʼ, which she developed while making the works included in the exhibition. These ideas are rooted in biological principles, exploring themes of creation, growth, preservation and evolution. They offer insight into the creative process, illustrating how ideas take shape and sustain themselves, both artistically and biologically. Through this sharing, the artist invites the reader into her creative world. We are drawn into a living, evolving process where ideas, forms and connections constantly transform.
在此，蘇詠寶分享 在創作本次展覽作品時的想法筆記， 稱之為「種子」。這些思緒植根於生物學的原理，探索創造、 成長、保存與演化的主題。它們揭示着創作過程中的靈感之
源，展現想法如何在藝術與生命形式中逐步成形並持續演 變。藝術家邀請讀者進入 的創作世界，進入一個充滿生 命力且不斷變化的過程，其中想法、形式和聯繫持續演化。
Conceptual Seeds
構思之種
Creative Notes by Wing Po So
蘇詠寶的創作筆記
