Inaugural exhibition of new gallery IN’EI in Venice showcases artist Gao Bo’s “Venice-Himalaya Offering”

On Saturday 11 March 2023, in Venice, the IN’EI gallery opens, as a new space created with the aim of overcoming the distinction between art and design, and giving exposure to artists and works from China, Japan and Korea, often little known in Europe. Its first exhibition stars the artist Gao Bo, with his Offerta Venezia-Himalaya project, curated by Pietro Gaglianò.

The Japanese term IN’EI, translated by the writer Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, means “shadow” and describes a particular approach to Beauty: “Let us allow the darkness to engulf us, and in it we will find a thing of beauty”. This suggestion gives shape and definition to the method adopted by the gallery – out of the real passion and experience of its two founders, Patrice Dumand and Hélène Dubois – placing at its centre projects born from a particular vision, to foster works and artists identified through careful research in the field, and their thorough knowledge of eastern Asia.

“The intention is to work with a few select names, in whom we have decided to invest, starting journeys which, on the one hand, will promote creators from the past, and on the other, will produce ad hoc works specifically conceived by ourselves, – says the founder Hélène Dubois, continuing – The distinction between art and design is of marginal interest; rather, we wish to create an archipelago of consistent visions. In this first show, we wish to welcome an audience of enthusiasts, presenting works and ideas deeply rooted in Asiatic culture, as well as introducing a specific sensibility and offering an interpretation of relationships among different cultural settings”.

As the first gallery focussing exclusively on the output from this part of the world, IN’EI “is filling a gap” and, with this Gao Bo exhibition, is making a particular choice, promoting the work of a long-standing, Chinese-born artist, Paris-based for many years, but firmly anchored to his origins, whose work balances the two worlds of photography and performance.

With Offerta Venezia-Himalaya, Gao Bo returns to the international stage after a long break for reflection and study, almost seeming to suggest an actual renaissance for this creator, always engaged in a search that condenses his matured experiences within both the worlds he has inhabited.