Grey Noise Gallery is hosting Machine Chicken Real Tree Culture, a solo exhibition by Lantian Xie, an artist well-known for employing unconventional materials to examine contemporary urban life. The show will be open to the public until 29 March 2025.
A critique of the relentless pace of city life, Machine Chicken Real Tree Culture explores everyday urban encounters, whether navigating traffic, refuelling and buying fast food at a gas station or traversing the city on foot.
Xie’s work in this exhibition incorporates unexpected objects, from chicken wings to clothing, challenging traditional notions of art. At its core is a video inspired by Mass Traffic, a book co-authored by Xie and independent researcher and curator Sabih Ahmed. The video features text sequences that contemplate the speed and rhythm of modern urban existence.
About the artist
Lantian Xie (b. 1988, Manama, Bahrain) divides his time between Dubai and Berlin (Germany). He obtained an MFA in Film from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (USA) in 2012. In addition to his artistic practice, he co-hosts a weekly programme on Dubai Eye 103.8FM and serves as editor-at-large at THE STATE.
Xie’s work spans installation, text, and drawing, often delving into themes of belonging and cosmopolitanism. Raised in Dubai by parents of Chinese heritage, he draws inspiration from the city to examine memory, citizenship, and social interaction. His artistic focus includes general trading, hotel lobbies, and the politics of state power.
Xie has showcased his art pieces in multiple exhibitions, including By the Means at Hand, Vlatka Horvat (Croatian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, Italy, 2024); Heavy Rotation Infra-Habibi-Technics (solo) (Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland, 2023); Hangzhou Triennial of Fibre Art (Hangzhou Museum, Hangzhou, China, 2022); The Superhero Summit, produced by KADIST (Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, 2019); and Forming in the pupil of an eye (the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi, India, 2016).
The artist has participated in numerous art residency programmes at prestigious institutions, such as Amant Siena Foundation (Siena, Italy, 2021), Mobility First! Asia-Europe Foundation (Singapore, 2019), and Delfina Foundation (London, UK, 2015), among others. He was also awarded the Mobility Grant from Culture Moves Europe (EU) in 2024 and the Artistic Research Grant from Warehouse 421 (Abu Dhabi) in 2023.
About the gallery
Grey Noise is a contemporary art gallery dedicated to showcasing innovative artists from South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. With a strong international presence through collaborations with curators, galleries, museums, and art fairs, Grey Noise fosters experimental and thought-provoking dialogues in contemporary art and culture.
To get more information about Machine Chicken Real Tree Culture, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in visiting Simurgh Self-Help, Slavs and Tatars’ solo exhibition, and Form and Rhythm, a group show at Sotheby’s Dubai.
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