Pei-Hsuan Wang

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See also: Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story


A Guide:



Spinners
Aluminum, stainless steel, motors, pink vinyl flagging tape, welding rods, beads

Motorized fly swatters are found in open air markets and on butchers’ counters in Taiwan. Here, a collective twirling mechanism form a breeze-generating cloud, choreographed to spin in a slow-fast-slow, counter-clock-wise to clock-wise rotation, caressing visitors as they pass below. Instead of the typical nylon ribbons, the ends of these spinners are made from neon vinyl flagging tape used for marking boundaries or hazardous areas in the US.  

Washing Machines Islands (x4)
Powder coated steel, repurposed washing machine parts, electrical components, programming boards, wood from the counter of the plumbing supply company that was the previous building tenants, and other mixed media

All four machines are elevated to the artist’s height, seated on platform 'islands' made with wood from the counter of the plumbing supply company that was the previous building tenants.

The four washing machines are programmed to operate on a staggered schedule, creating a continuous whirring hum throughout the exhibition space. Every half hour, all machines pause for one minute, providing a brief moment of silence.

Details:

1. Washing Machine: All That You Touch (2026)Stoneware, glazed stoneware; driftwood from the Pacific Northwest; napkin strips embroidered with words fragmented from a verse in Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower; powder coated steel; framed drawing by the artist’s niece (Pumpkins); Slam Dunk sticker, magnet

Each word of the verse is hand-embroidered on an individual strip, composing new poems with each tumble of the washing machine: 

All that you touch
You Change.
All that you Change
Changes you.
The only lasting truth
Is Change.
God Is Change.

2. Washing Machine: Star of Longevity (2026)
Secrets of the artist’s parents whispered into the washing machine drum, sealed with raw terra cotta; porcelain figurine of the Star of Longevity found in a Belgian thrift store

Although appearing empty, this washing machine holds  secrets whispered by the artist and sealed in with terra cotta — a tribute to Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 film In the Mood for Love. Over time, the terra cotta dries and crumbles away.

“In the old days, if someone had a secret they didn’t want to share… you know what they did?
They went up a mountain, found a tree, carved a hole in it, and whispered the secret into the hole.
Then they covered it with mud. And leave the secret there forever.”

3. Washing Machine: Paradise (2026)
Acrylic resin and fiberglass; UV printed plastic bag depicting the mythical paradise Mount Penglai as portrayed in the Chinese classic Guideways Through Mountains and Seas (Jiang edition, c. 1597); Sailor Moon stickers, magnets; Slam Dunk sticker, magnet

One washing machine spins a frail white plastic bag with a red design — however, instead of the usual Chinese takeout logo, it features a custom-printed image of Mount Penglai. Mount Penglai, also known as the Penglai Immortal Island, is said to be located in the Bohai Sea and holds the secret to eternal life. Prominent historical figures in China sent expeditions in search of this mythical paradise, which may have led to the dissemination of Chinese cultures.

4. Washing Machine: Sonic Spirit (2026)

Glazed stoneware, two hedgehog plushy dog toys, embroidered with the artist’s last name in Chinese; Slam Dunk sticker, magnet

A second washing machine spins two hedgehog plushy dog toys, dancing like tango partners and evoking Wang’s solo exhibition Ghost Eat Mud (Kunsthal Gent, 2022), which features a running hedgehog toy train that connects themes of speed and progress with a child’s obsession with Sonic the Hedgehog.