SHĒNGXIAO | A NEW DUO EXHIBITION AT 95 ART GALLERY
This September, Bublegum presents SHĒNGXIAO, a new duo exhibition at 95 Art Gallery, alongside chinese artist NUT.
The exhibition brings together the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, creating a dialogue between two artists and two very different visual languages. Rather than approaching the zodiac as a fixed collection of symbols, the exhibition becomes an opportunity to reinterpret each animal through a personal perspective.
For Bublegum, the starting point was something very familiar: animals have always been an important part of his work. Their shapes, movement, behaviour and relationship with their surroundings offer endless possibilities to explore ideas that go beyond the animal itself.
His work is built from a constant search for new ways to push an idea a little further. Graffiti taught him to work with volume, space and movement. Tattooing brought him closer to drawing, rhythm and the fluidity of the line. Baroque sculpture introduced him to ornamentation, sinuous forms and intricate detail. From the combination of these influences came his distinctive ornamental language, where ornament is not simply an addition to the image, but an essential part of its construction.
For SHĒNGXIAO, these influences come together around twelve animals, each one carrying its own character and story.
Caballo Ganador
90 × 60 cm
Acrylic, airbrush and spray paint on cotton canvas
The horse represents freedom, vitality and an independent spirit. Always in motion and difficult to stop, it becomes a symbol of strength and determination.
The Horse captures that feeling of momentum: the impulse to keep moving, keep running and not lose direction. It represents that particular moment when everything seems to be aligned and the path forward becomes clear.
La Tentación
90 × 60 cm
Acrylic, airbrush and spray paint on cotton canvas
The snake wraps itself around the peony in a composition built around tension and beauty. The flower appears caught in its movement, but at the same time protected by it.
The Temptation explores instinct, desire and that fine line between possessing something and allowing it to flourish. The relationship between the snake and the flower becomes a metaphor for attraction, control and the freedom to let something grow.
The Opportunity
55 × 40 cm
Acrylic and airbrush on wood. Hand-cut piece. Epoxy varnish.
The rat does not need to be the biggest to arrive first. It is observant, quick and knows how to recognise an opportunity when it appears.
The arrow in The Opportunity represents that moment of possibility, while the rat represents the instinct and intelligence needed to recognise it and act.
The piece becomes a reflection on movement, intuition and the ability to find a path even when one does not seem to exist.
The Game
55 × 40 cm
Acrylic and airbrush on wood. Hand-cut piece. Epoxy varnish.
The monkey is traditionally associated with curiosity, intelligence, creativity and adaptability. But for Bublegum, there is another idea that feels just as important: play.
The Game is about observing, experimenting, making mistakes and trying again. About finding new possibilities in things we already know and looking at the world from a different angle.
The hand-cut wooden shape also adds another dimension to the piece, allowing the artwork to move beyond the traditional rectangular format.
Roots
40 × 60 cm
Acrylic, airbrush and spray paint on cotton canvas
There is something very direct about the wild boar. It does not seem interested in following rules or fitting into a place created by someone else. It moves with strength, instinct and freedom.
That is where Roots begins.
The wild boar becomes a symbol of returning to something more primitive, instinctive and connected to our origins. Before expectations, before adapting to what others want from us, there is a part of us that simply knows where it comes from and where it wants to go.
To the top
40 × 60 cm
Acrylic, airbrush and spray paint on cotton canvas
The goat does not look for the easiest path. It looks for the summit.
To the Top is about quiet perseverance and the decisions that can change the direction of our lives: a turn, a sacrifice, a leap into the unknown.
Moving through difficult terrain requires trusting your own intuition, letting go of what no longer adds anything and having the courage to leave something behind, with the belief that what lies ahead can be greater.
The exhibition also marks another step in the ongoing evolution of Bublegum’s work. Throughout his practice, he has continued to explore different formats, supports and techniques, moving from large-scale walls to smaller paintings, hand-cut wooden pieces and mixed-media works. Each new format brings its own challenges and possibilities, allowing his ornamental language to change scale, adapt and evolve without losing its essence.
These six works are different in character, but together they form part of the same exploration: using animals as a starting point to talk about movement, desire, curiosity, determination, opportunity and identity.
The Chinese zodiac provided the framework. The rest came from the way Bublegum sees and interprets the world.
SHĒNGXIAO opens at 95 Art Gallery on September 26, from 7:00 to 9:30 PM, bringing together the work of Bublegum and NUT in a dialogue around the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac.