Macalline Center of Art is pleased to present Folk in Order, a summer group exhibition showcasing the works of 13 artists and collectives. On view from July 20th to October 13th, 2024, the exhibition features 45 works curated by guest curator WANG Huan.

“Every love must part ways. Every mountain shall crumble. Every tree should bow. Every river will wither.”
—Mingdai Baojuan (“The Precious Scrolls from Ming Dynasty”)

We are presumably no strangers to the ubiquitous fabric of folk, as it is scattered everywhere like feathers across our cultural landscape. Its concept—the unofficial, self-organized, and people-powered—has evolved countless times throughout bifurcated histories. But now, what do we truly mean when we invoke this term? Is “folk” a heritage of a certain past tradition? A raw experience native to spontaneously set rules? Or the wisdom from the streets containing a strikingly strong capability for self-direction? It almost evinces a dynamic check-and-balance relationship that constantly flows between tradition and modern, nationals and governance, and between elites and the “masses.”

（Text by Macalline Center of Art)