Emotions
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Emotions
C magazine review
Yuling Chen
April 16th 2026
Bones in the canal and other photographs is an exploration of emotions. It tells people a story about Israel Palestine conflicts’ origins in the biblical stories. The Virgin Mary is made to kneel to measure the length of the legs of ballerina. A baby is sleeping or lying on the floor. A penis is used to shock the viewers out of their senses. Sometimes we see vehicles. Sometimes we see cats. Sometimes we see women and men. These biblical references to sacrifices often link the conflicts to the everyday life of people lived in random places. The exhibition talks about the market in the past tense. It makes up a biblical narrative about the markets as a type of fish travelling through waves of information blackout and black holes. The most notable photograph in the exhibition is the one two people trying to cajoling a cat to play near the river bank. The tender suggestion that they are trying to drown the cat to death has made the photograph a shocking revelation of the Cain and Abel story as a fabrication of love in the face of adversity and struggles. It tells the narrative of the Alice’s adventure in wonderland, of a little blonde girl traversing the dreamy underworld of grotesque monsters without detailing its brutal scenes of murders and killings. The theorist Jacques Derrida in 1997 addressed the public of “the autobiographical animal” later published as “the animal therefore I am (more to follow)”. He talked at large of the animal being a self referential subject looking and gazing back at their spectators. This fear inducing framework has shocked the general public as absurd and grotesque. How could an animal look back at you when it had no human consciousness or awareness of being watched? This photograph deals with this ontological question gently through its gesture of petting. It no longer wants to answer the question and its thorny undercurrents of provocations. It wants to pose itself as a question, should we or shouldn’t we treat ourselves as an autobiographical animal?
The exhibition "Bones in the Canal and Other Photographs" provides a unique lens into the complexity of human emotions layered with historical and religious symbolism. What struck me the most is how the artist uses biblical references not just as background but as visceral elements that bridge ancient conflicts with today’s realities. For instance, the portrayal of The Virgin Mary kneeling to measure a ballerina’s legs creates a striking juxtaposition of vulnerability and grace, reflecting the delicate balance between innocence and suffering. The images challenge the viewer’s perceptions by incorporating everyday scenes like a baby lying on the floor alongside more provocative elements such as the impactful depiction of a penis, forcing an awakening of senses and confronting taboos. The photograph where two people coax a cat near the riverbank stands out as a powerful metaphor—suggesting a reinterpretation of the Cain and Abel story, which touches on themes of fabricated love amid adversity. This subtle yet unsettling image made me reflect on how narratives of struggle and compassion intertwine within the human experience. What makes this exhibition compelling is its dialogue with philosophical ideas, such as Derrida’s concept of "the autobiographical animal"—the idea that animals can reflect and challenge human consciousness. The careful gesture of petting an animal in one photograph introduces questions about identity and self-awareness without providing definitive answers. It invites us to consider our own autobiographical narratives, viewing ourselves as subjects in an ongoing story shaped by observation and interaction. Attending this exhibition felt like joining an intimate conversation about memory, trauma, and the complexity of empathy across cultural and temporal boundaries. It reminds us that emotions are not isolated feelings but are deeply embedded in stories, symbols, and shared histories. For anyone interested in art that provokes thought and invites reflection on social and political realities through emotional storytelling, this exhibit is an unforgettable experience.
