Mu Pan - "Micro MUniverse"

Hashimoto Contemporary is pleased to present Micro MUniverse, a solo exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist Mu Pan. In this new series of works, Pan focuses in on his sprawling narrative scenes at a molecular level.

Inspired by the Buddhist adage that a single cup of water holds countless microscopic lifeforms, the artist views Micro MUniverse as a natural progression following his Blood series. Of this new body of work, he shares “…I want to focus on the concept of being small, because whatever is small actually contains way more than it appears. Therefore, each small image is like a drop of blood and each drop of blood contains multiple universes.”

Previously known for his epic battle scenes, the artist seeks to depart from traditional narrative depictions stating that “having explored many forms of narrative image-making over the past decade, my path is now shifting. I am moving away from direct storytelling and toward simplified interactions between the characters within my images. Rather than just continuing to depict a plot, I am looking for the transcendence of narration itself.” Pan takes an unrestricted approach as he works, drawing inspiration from the raw and unpolished line-work of Chinese artist Guo Fengyi’s Cosmic Meridians and allowing his scenes to unfold organically.

Animals, humans, and unknown beasts lay disemboweled in gory kaleidoscopes but unlike previous battle scenes, the sacrifices made here are not just for violence’s sake. The artist invites us to witness the continuous cycle of life and the nourishment which feeds the greater MUniverse. The inhabitants of this world cannot escape food chain but neither can we.