09/04/2026
We are proud to present Feminine Dialogues in Surrealism: Deng Shiqing & Holly Stevenson, in Art Paris 2026 (Booth I21), at the Grand Palais, April 9-12.
Holly Stevenson (b. 1975, UK, based in London) creates ceramic works that transform the language of psychoanalysis into uncanny and poetic forms. Her sculptures, at once familiar and strange, explore dualities of gender, memory, motherhood, and the subconscious, blurring the boundary between object and emotion. Stevenson’s new series, We require a poetic unconscious 1–5 (2026), is a group of five ceramic sculptures presented at Art Paris for
the first time. Each work retains the inkwell form held within its base, a void inspired by Freud’s favourite ashtray and an established conceptual space for the figures to wrap themselves onto.
Deng Shiqing (b. 1992, China, based in New York) presents figurative paintings that distort reality through elongated forms. Through a new series, Deng explores the complexities of childbirth. The artist reflects on how women’s biological capacity for reproduction has historically contributed to social inequality, where the female body is at times reduced to a vessel. While technological advances have expanded possibilities and hope for many, they have also introduced ethically ambiguous dynamics, particularly where power and wealth intersect with reproduction. This inquiry also resonates with ongoing debates surrounding reproductive rights, including the overturning of abortion protections in the United States, issues that remain urgent, complex, and unresolved. In her work, Deng Shiqing approaches these themes through a distinctive visual language that combines dark narratives with humor and sarcasm.
Both artists extend surrealism as a living, evolving language, one that navigates identity, desire, and dissonance from a contemporary female perspective.
Set in Paris, the historical cradle of surrealism, this exhibition invites reflection on how the movement continues to evolve through diverse cultural lenses and powerful female voices.
Special thanks to and .donnadieu
