楔 Xiē (Wedge) is a collective comprising the artists Hao Jingban, Shen Xin, Yunyu “Ayo” Shih, and writer Qu Chang.

The group was formed in 2020, during Hao Jingban’s period of residence in Berlin, and grew out of fragmented online conversations about current social issues and global political events. Via chat messages and online discussions, topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the escalating tensions in Taiwan have been addressed. This ongoing exchange has resulted in joint readings, images, drawings, and videos.

The collective takes its name from the Chinese character 楔, which depicts a tree and a person cutting a wedge out from it. Similar to how a wedge is driven into a gap in order to (re-)establish a connection, stabilizing or opening something up in the process, discussion is intended to foster a productive environment for group collaboration in a period marked by global crises and social upheavals. The central theme of the group’s joint reflections is the significance of the home in times of enforced isolation.

At the daadgalerie, 楔 Xiē’s creative engagement with topical issues from the present is transformed into an expansive installation, which also includes video works and selected drawings. The accompanying brochure provides an expanded space in which to visualize the collective dialogue.

Hao Jingban was a Visual Arts fellow of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in 2020.

Photo credit: Hao Jingban