Rockbund Art Museum 上海外滩美术馆

Shanghai Palimpsest: Restaging the R.A.S.Library is an archive-based exhibition exploring the historical Royal Asiatic Society (R.A.S.)by reflecting on the importance of the building's third-floor space, once known as "the finest library of Oriental studies within China."It also brings to light the noteworthy figures associated with the Society in early 20th-century Shanghai. Through archival research and critical reflection on how archives are constructed and interpreted, Shanghai Palimpsest potrays the past not as a linear chronicle or a singular entity, but as a mosaic of intersecting experiences, voices, and perspectives. Besides showcasing primary source materials, this exhibition features site-specific interventions by artist Zhang Ruyi and a series of lantern slides by photographer Chen Ronghui, inspired by a lost archive. Originating in the mid-19th century amidst imperial expansion, the R.A.S. emerged as a powerhouse for sinology (the study of China)and functioned as an imperial archive. It documented, categorized, and showcased the culture and nature of Asia, with China as its primary subject. The exhibition's curatorial approach focuses on historical archives, especially those rediscovered, illuminating obscure stories and reinterpreting familiar ones. Notable figures like Arthur de Carle Sowerby and John Calvin Ferguson share the stage with relatively lesser-known personalities, including Florence Ayscough, Wu Lien-teh, the Tang family, and Clarice Moise. The project fosters an examination of established accounts and amplifies underrepresented voices, underscoring the palimpsestic nature of archives — a metaphorical layering that captures the essence of temporal shifts, narrative diversities, and interpretative variances.