Harbinger is a new body of work by Shian, comprising illustrations and handsewn textiles that draw from the symbolic tradition of Chinese folk art. This solo exhibition was held from 27 June to 20th July 2025 at Knuckles & Notch's Chaos Gallery in Singapore.
At the heart of the exhibition is an instinctive exploration of animal symbolism and the reshaping of cultural memory—how meanings are assigned, inherited, and transformed over time. The burden of turbulence are placed onto these creatures, letting them carry doubt, rage, and the quiet desire for change. There is no fixed logic here—the kites merely suggest flight and the tigers serve soup here.
Harbinger inhabits the space between tradition and instinct, root and release. It doesn’t offer resolution, but rests in the unease of transformation—a point of transition where something is ending, and something else is just beginning to take shape.
Chaos Gallery by Knuckles & Notch
Tiger! 2025, 150cm x 88cm, Cotton and Satin Tapestry
Tiger Soup, 2025, A2 5 colour Risograph print (printed by Corners Korea) in custom ebony frame
Cicada, 2025, Cotton and Satin Tapestry
Smörgåsbord, 2025, 29.7 x 29.7 cm 4 colour Risograph print by Knuckles & Notch
Smörgåsbord scarf, 65 x 65cm, 100% Silk scarf
Frog?, 2025, Satin ad Cotton Tapestry
The Banquet, 2025, A3 5 Colour Risograph print by Knuckles & Notch
Bat, 2025, Satin & Cotton Tapestry
If this isn't Nice, What is?, 2025, A3 4-colour Risograph print by Knuckles & Notch
Crab, 2025, Cotton Tapestry
