Hauntology: Unfading Realities

“Hauntology,” a term introduced by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, describes a particular condition of the real: things that seem to have disappeared, yet continue to resonate in the present. The ghost is not merely a remnant of the past, but rather a form of the real that remains unresolved, continually surfacing and receding across time and perception.

Within everyday life, there are always subtle signs that quietly alter the way we perceive the world. At times, even a blank sheet of paper can make the air feel tense—especially when silence itself begins to register as presence. Ordinary things often work in this way: the lighter and quieter they appear, the more they may carry an indescribable weight.

In today’s world, the real has become increasingly layered and unstable: memory, images, information, and perception intertwine, leading us repeatedly into moments that feel both near and distant. They are familiar yet strange, concrete yet difficult to articulate. The real no longer appears as a stable whole, but as something continuously shifting and unresolved—leaving faint traces between emergence and disappearance.

Titled Unfading Realities, this exhibition brings together works by Allyson Strafella, Ben Huebsch, Brian Scott Campbell, Chen Yanfei, Foert Frederik, Guan Yong, Han Ning, He Wei, Huang Yibai, LODTALAD, Egg Young, Robbin Heyker, Su Jiaxi, Edie Xu, Xu Ziyi, and Yang Xinjia. Across diverse media and practices, the works presented here do not attempt to directly represent reality, but instead inhabit its edges—through dislocations of image, material, narrative, and perception, evoking forms of existence that resist full capture.

In these works, reality is not a fixed object, but rather a series of subtle encounters: echoes that have not yet faded, experiences still in the process of becoming. Between looking and lingering, viewers may sense a slight displacement—as if encountering, within the familiar world, something quietly returning yet difficult to name.

Ghosts do not belong solely to the past; they continue to wander through the present. It is within these unfading realities that we may once again sense the possibilities of time, memory, and being.

This exhibition also marks the inaugural presentation of Meridian Gallery, establishing both its foundation and an unspoken commitment with its audience: to remain attentive to artistic practices that sustain a meaningful tension with contemporary reality, while supporting artists who expand the possibilities of perception and expression.