Water Snail Shell

This slice of a water snail shell reveals the inner structure of several locally found conches in the box. The art by Hong Kong artist Trevor Yeung (1988- ) uses and modifies ecosystems and natural matter to materialize the complexity of human relationships. In a series of art works from 2014 to 2019, he has adapted a number of shells to reflect on aspects of romance and intimacy.

By contrast, Taiwan-born and Europe-based artist Charwei Tsai (1980- ) used sea snail shells from the South China Sea in a highly politicized manner; her “Hermit Crab Project” of 2008 uses maritime material culture to reflect on issues of cultural identity and belonging. In a much grander gesture, Beijing-based artist Wu Jian’an (1980- ) employs myriads of polished conch shells in his installation “Big Skeleton” of 2016.