Between Realms: Zhou Song x Celine Ali

Zhou Song and Celine Ali each construct worlds that sit just beyond the familiar. Drawing on elements of nature, classical painting and surreal composition, their works occupy a space where reality and imagination quietly overlap. While both artists explore ambiguity, their approaches diverge - one through transformation and disruption, the other through stillness and control.

Across the exhibition, the human figure emerges in moments of transition. In Zhou Song’s paintings, bodies merge with trees, objects and surreal environments. Familiar elements such as chairs and houses sit slightly out of place, creating scenes that feel both grounded and quietly disorienting. His worlds are expansive yet precise, where nature and invention coexist, and each composition maintains a careful balance.

Celine Ali’s works draw the viewer inward. Her faceless figures are placed within composed interiors, surrounded by drapery, fruit and ornamental detail. Rich colour and soft light echo the language of classical painting, while the absence of identity leaves each scene open. Expression gives way to gesture and posture, allowing each figure to appear both intimate and undefined.

Recurring motifs thread through the exhibition. Trees, fruit and domestic objects surface repeatedly, acting as anchors within fluid environments. A gentle tension runs throughout, between interior and exterior, control and release, presence and anonymity. These oppositions are not resolved. Instead, they are sustained, held in place, allowing different readings to exist at once.

‘Between Realms’ invites viewers into this space of overlap, where scenes feel recognisable, yet never fully settle.

DOWNLOAD THE CATALOGUE