Commodities: Sculpture and Ceramics, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, United Kingdom

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.