Put on a face mask, grab your hand sanitizer and gloves, and remember to wash your hands: the rituals of staying clean are occupying more mental space than ever. 

But what exactly does being “clean” mean, and what does it look like? As China slowly emerges from the health crisis, one of Beijing’s oldest galleries, SPURS (formerly called the Boers-Li Gallery) decided to see how artists would interpret the idea in an open call for new artworks. 

“The word ‘clean’ was chosen as the title for the exhibition not only because of its sanitary connotations, but also because it entails ideas of a new epoch: a return to zero, a blank slate, a renewal, a cleanse, and a restart,” the gallery said in a statement. 

Yang Xun, Spring Blossoms at this Ideal Moment (2020). Courtesy of SPURS Gallery.

Forty-three artists are included in the show, and each one of them realized a work in just six weeks. The diverse show hints at the various ways in which global trade, travel, constant conflict, and the consumption and destruction of natural resources have become entwined with economic survival—with dire and unexpected consequences. Together, the works echo the need for collective foresight and responsiveness in future crises. 

The exhibition, curated by Sherry Lai, considers the theme through four lenses: the fragmented relationship between humans and nature; the isolation of contemporary life and the urban environment; potential direct responses to the pandemic; and ways that art can provide emotional relief and hope for the future. 

See additional images from “CLEAN” below:

Peng Ke, Untitled (2020). Courtesy of SPURS Gallery.

Ye Linghan, LUCY-F-15 (2020). Courtesy of SPURS Gallery.

Sun Yitian, Pacific Winds (2020). Courtesy of SPURS Gallery.

Pu Yingwen, Health Resources Cleaning, Assistance, Washing Ceremony (2020). Courtesy of SPURS Gallery.

Wang Xiaoqu, Washing (2020). Courtesy of SPURS Gallery.

Ji Zhou, A Night with Filter (2020). Courtesy of SPURS Gallery.

“CLEAN” is on view by appointment only at Spurs Gallery in Beijing through May 16, 2020.