SHEN XIN 沈莘

  • an oil painting of a dead gull's body, chest open and bone exposed, lying on yellowing grassland
  • Installation view of Three Gulls and Three Fulmars in a brightly lit room with wooden floor.
  • an oil painting of three fulmars at cliff's edge
  • Installation view of the three paintings in a brightly lit room with wooden floor.
  • an oil painting of three hens inside a chicken coop, with one white hen in the centre, and two brown hens showing their heads.
  • close up of an oil painting of three hens inside a chicken coop, with one white hen in the centre, and two brown hens showing their heads.
  • installation overview of the texts on the wall brightly lit and in a room with wooden floor.
  • Installation view of the three paintings and text installations in the space of TINA gallery.

The Puffins Wear My Words | Tha Na Buthaidean a’ Cur M’ Fhaclan Orra

English and Gaelic, 2025

A story of a young mink who, observing the rituals of a human community, attempts to signal its inclusion through symbolic acts. Yet, these gestures are misread. They are met not with understanding but with distance and mistrust, leading to fear, misinterpretation, and violence. As the mink’s efforts to be seen and understood grow more desperate, the community’s response becomes more defensive. A cycle of escalating action ensues, becoming a story at once intimate, mythical, and all too familiar.  – Lynton Talbot

This project is part of dòbhran, an initiative that publishes and translates place stories and texts. This story is made possible by the contribution of MadeIn Gallery Shanghai and Shen Xin, through the collection of Solar Wheels by Centre Pompidou, Paris in 2025. It also received generous support from the exhibition Mink and Berry at TINA Gallery, London.

  • an oil painting of four caterpillar fungus lying on an open palm
  • an oil painting of a tree whose growth resembles a waterway
  • an oil painting of a child sitting in grass wearing colourful clothing and gloves, holding onto her sharp tool for fungus harvesting
  • an oil painting of thunder descending from sky to mountain tops at night
  • an oil painting of a bear intruding the kitchen in a house
  • an oil painting of a group of people wearing colourful clothing, harvesting caterpillar fungus at the foot of mountains
  • Installation view of the six paintings in the brick interior of Collective's dome gallery.
  • Installation overview of the work, with an audience member wearing blue t-shirt looking at it with some distance.
  • close up of the English text of the story, shown in a bright green, and hand-made quality and some mistakes in the details.
  • Installation view of the text on the wall, an overview, inside the dome gallery's brick interior, and the paintings for the story can be seen.
  • close up of the Tibetan text of the story, shown in green-ish grey, and hand-made quality and some mistakes in the details.

The Child of the Mountain | རི་ཕྲུག

English and Tibetan, 2025

A story of a child who loses her miraculous harvesting skills while searching for the voices of her deceased parents. Reflecting on the over-harvesting of caterpillar fungus in Tibet, this is a tale of caution and a contemporary myth.

This project is part of dòbhran, an initiative that publishes and translates place stories and texts. This story is made possible by the contribution of MadeIn Gallery Shanghai and Shen Xin, through the collection of Solar Wheels by Centre Pompidou, Paris in 2025. It also received funding from the exhibition Highland Embassy at Collective, Edinburgh. 

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