Tender Comrade
"Private Hotel" is an installation piece combining woodcraft, readymade objects, antique toys, children's furniture, and sculpture. Its display method involves a 3.2*2.3 meter space fully paved with brick-shaped mirror tiles, with a giant dollhouse installation placed in the center of the room. The floor is covered with a plush carpet featuring images drawn by the artist.
The main viewing side of this installation is obscured by a large construction timber, with only four small peepholes carved into the wall at waist height. Through this exhibition design, the audience is semi-compelled to crouch down and peer inside, making "concealed, private" and "peeping" the key sensations the work intends to convey.
The theme of this exhibition is "Tender Comrade," aiming to explore the diversity of intimate relationships and their expressions across different cultural backgrounds. The exhibition hopes to break away from conventional heterosexual perspectives, showcasing the complexity and authenticity of these relationships from more diverse angles, be it emotional bonds, friendships, or community ties.
This exhibition not only aims to invite artists from the queer community but also to include works that question acquired gender norms or are inspired by Camp Aesthetic, exploring the lifestyles and social circles of the queer community. The literal meaning of tongzhi, 'common will,' suggests the queer community is united by more than just sexual orientation — an idea echoed by philosopher Michel Foucault in his article Friendship as a Way of Life. What makes queerness both 'disturbing' and powerful is that it has become a sprawling ecosystem of relationships, networks and alliances. "Everything that can be troubling in affection, tenderness, friendship, fidelity, camaraderie and companionship" connects the artists in Tender Comrade. Straight, queer or undisclosed — together, they create an exhibition that breaks all the rules defining who we are and how we are perceived.
18 June 2025 - 16 November 2025
White Rabbit Gallery
Curator David Williams
Photographed by White Rabbit Collection, Sydney.
