The Larva of Time is an interdisciplinary curatorial and research project, realized as part of the “Creative Futures” initiative at the Berggruen Research Center at Peking University and exhibited in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) at NYU Shanghai. Commenced in the summer of 2022, The Larva of Time invited artists and scientists to investigate unnoticed temporal imprints in the processes of artistic and scientific research, exploring the contextual resonances between art and science. Curated by 2022-23 Berggruen Fellow Iris Long, the exhibition features eleven works, co-created by the exhibiting artists and scientists BAI Shunong, GUO Cheng, ZHANG Wei, and ZHANG Wenxin, all derived from the project’s research and commissions.
Time, an epistemological subject of shared interest among the four participants, has multiple manifestations in this project, ranging from the surface residues of microorganisms to bifurcations and diversity on an evolutionary scale to Earth's shifting geological and ecological epochs. The introduction of the book Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet (University of Minnesota Press, 2017) proposes a concept of time in which contemporary humans sweep across the world, bringing “multiple times”[1] rather than constructing a singular future. Each version of time leaves distinct marks on the Earth, and this conception of time aligns with the temporal notions examined in the exhibition. The Larva of Time is a shared contemplation of metamorphosis, an intimate yet expansive invisible cocoon created by two artists and two scientists over nearly two years through correspondence, visits, dialogues, and fieldwork.
These plural times could be technological, geological, biological, entangled, and buried. Unlike common modes of collaboration between art and science, this project regards the participants as co-creators rather than merely using science as a source of material or a provider of technology, tools, or experiments. The four participants interweave their creative and research processes, temporarily setting aside their original identities and habits. The foundation of this project is not simply interdisciplinary; it is an attempt at something "pre-disciplinary," something imperfect, unfinished, and larval.
The exhibition is accompanied by a series of related public programs that delve into the exhibition's subject from various perspectives, offering critical, participatory, or playful entry points.
[1] Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing et al., eds., Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet: Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2017), 7.
The exhibition is accompanied by related events, including:
OPENING RECEPTION & CONVERSATION
The Larva of Time
- Friday, 21 June, Opening Reception 16–19:00 (conversation at 17:00)
- ICA Galleries
- In Chinese
- No registration required
The conversation will take the audience through the fermentation process of the project over more than two years, leading to a discussion on the durational aspect of interdisciplinary collaboration.
LECTURE
Metamorphosis
- Friday, 28 June, 18:00–20:30
- Location to be confirmed
- In English (with Chinese consecutive interpretation)
- Registration required
“Metamorphosis” is both a characteristic of insect life and a term used in English to describe geological changes such as metamorphic rocks. Philosopher Emanuele Coccia's lecture, based on his book Metamorphoses, aims to open new philosophical perspectives on the issues reflected in the exhibition's works.
TALK
Learning about Mountains from Molehills
- Saturday, 13 July, 14:00–15:30
- ICA Galleries
- In Chinese
- Registration required
Hu Ruiqi is a young biologist and a participant in the Motuo fieldwork associated with this project. He will synthesize his rich field experience with recent scholarship to discuss insects, the most diverse group of organisms in the biological world.
WORKSHOP
Stone Store: The Petrification of Everyday Objects
- Saturday, 20 July, 14:00–15:30
- ICA Reading Room
- In Chinese
- Registration required
“The Petrification of Everyday Objects” is a fictional archeological site reflecting the lives of ordinary people organized by Plant South Salesroom.
The exhibition and related events are FREE and OPEN to the public.
For further details and to register for events, please visit the event pages under Related programs below.
The Larva of Time exhibition is generously supported by the Berggruen Research Center at Peking University and the Institute of Contemporary Arts at NYU Shanghai.
Design by nonplace studio and Shen Jun.
