“No Look Pass” presents a solo exhibition by Dubai-based artist Lantian Xie. The title comes from a basketball tactic whereby a player looks one direction and passes the ball in another. A confident yet reticent move, a no look pass relies on deliberate familiarity and alert anticipation to work correctly. Importantly, the tactic exceeds the optics and verification abilities of the eye. This newly commissioned exhibition departs from an extended dialogue between the artist and myself, The exhibition consists of a cascade of objects—from folding chairs to a passport— which find syncopation in their capacity to shape-shift literally or figuratively. The choreography of these disparate items invites viewers to experience the moment of exhibition as events that coincide rather than objects subject to the gaze, capture, and consolidation.

“No Look Pass” was on view at CCS Galleries August 20 - Sept 20, 2020

Image courtesy Olympia Shannon