On May 7, 2025, artist Yan Heng was invited to speak at the "Out of Academics" Forum hosted by Nanjing Normal University, where he shared valuable insights into his creative process. His talk was centered around his recent solo exhibition at HOW Art Museum in Shanghai, where he constructed a visually rich world exploring the entanglements of civilization, technology, and desire through a fusion of painting, installation, and found objects.

The exhibition takes its conceptual framework from three symbolic keywords: Spices, representing humanity’s longing for power and exotic resources; Luban, evoking the often-overlooked spirit of invention and the role of technical laborers; and Babylon, a metaphor for the coexistence of desire and order in modern society. These motifs recur throughout Yan's series of works, weaving a fragmented yet interconnected worldview across materials, imagery, and spatial installations. The exhibition is full of thought-provoking details. For example, animal bones encased in metal reference his artist residency on an Australian ranch. Everyday objects such as oysters, water dispensers, and air vents are recontextualized within his works, becoming carriers of metaphors tied to capital, aesthetics, and institutional frameworks. Figures like Elon Musk and relics such as the "Flesh Buddha" are transformed into layered commentaries—both ironic and reflective—on contemporary culture.

Yan emphasized that he does not intend to impose fixed interpretations on his work. Instead, he invites viewers to approach his art through their own memories and experiences, allowing new perceptions and insights to emerge organically. In an era saturated with images, he seeks to create an authentic space of “encounter” through exhibition—a space where art becomes a way to reimagine and reinterpret the world around us.

The lecture concluded with a lively discussion, as students and faculty members enthusiastically shared their reflections and posed questions to the artist.

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