After Fire

After Fire, at Aranya Art Center, places nearly 100 historical fire-making tools from the collection of Tian Jiaqing alongside work by 14 contemporary artists, among them Julian Charrière, Otto Piene, Thu-Van Tran, Xie Zhenhua and Li Li Ren.

Across five galleries the exhibition follows humanity’s long relationship with fire, from its part in technological progress to the risks it now poses through wildfire, war and climate change. Li Li Ren made two new commissioned works for the show: We can’t help but change form I–III (2026), three sculptures set in rings of coal in the atrium, and Tether (2026), a work of coal, silicone and pulleys installed in a lit wall niche.