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Exhibitions

Commodities: Sculpture and Ceramics
by Renee So

Saturday 20 September 2025 – Sunday 8 March 2026

new and existing works including a series of darkly playful objects, such as over-sized ceramic snuff bottles shaped like lemons, noses, or poppy seeds.

Opening Times

Wed – Sun: 10am-5pm

Mon and Tue: Closed, except bank holiday Mondays

Galleries are open 10.30am – 5pm

About the
Exhibition

Hong Kong-born artist Renee So creates darkly playful ceramic sculptures which consider how we understand Chinese culture and history today, from snuff and perfume to silk and even the ancient Chinese version of football – kuju.

Oversized snuff bottles shaped like a poppy or a giant nose link to sculptures of contemporary perfumes that reference imperial histories such as ‘Invasion’, ‘Colony’ and ‘Opium’. A magic bronze mirror, based on those made thousands of years ago, projects a glowing ghostly image onto a darkened wall. Ritual vessels explore how the Taotie, a mythological Chinese creature, is connected to the early history of silk weaving, pioneered by women. So’s works help us see Compton Verney’s world-renowned collection of Chinese Bronzes in a new light.

Through a mix of new and never before seen works, So explores how perceptions of history can be distorted, re-fashioned and changed, questioning how we create the new stories we tell ourselves today.

Supported by the Henry Moore Foundation