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Inspired by the quiet intensity and meditative presence of Su Xiaobai’s paintings, this opening celebration gathers a series of lyrical reflections by exhibition curator Stephen Little, architect and designer Kulapat Yantrasast, and public programs curator Jenny Lin. Through readings and personal meditations, the speakers respond to the philosophical, aesthetic, and material dimensions of Su Xiaobai’s work, tracing resonances across artistic practice, cultural memories, and the transformative possibilities of poetry.

This opening event marks the first in a series of public programs accompanying Su Xiaobai’s Alchemical Universe. The programs, collectively entitled Orchid Pavilion Gatherings, unfold as a series of encounters bringing together visionary artists, thinkers, and cultural voices across disciplines. Activating the exhibition as a space for reflection and exchange, these gatherings invite audiences to linger with the contemplative atmosphere of Su Xiaobai’s art and to consider the resonances and opportunities for embodiment that emerge.

The program series title draws from Su Xiaobai’s painting Orchid Pavilion (2007) and from the legendary Orchid Pavilion Gathering of 353 CE, an event that gave rise to one of the most celebrated traditions of Chinese literati culture. At that gathering, poets assembled beside a winding stream to compose verses, read aloud, and connect in the presence of nature and flowing wine. Echoing this historical moment of shared authorship and poetic improvisation, each program in the series takes its name from two of Su Xiaobai’s paintings’ titles.

The exhibition’s visitors and program participants are invited to contribute a poetic line or brief verse inspired by their encounter with Su Xiaobai’s paintings within the special setting of Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel in Venice. These fragments of language, gathered over the exhibition’s duration, will form a collective archive of reflection. In the exhibition’s closing program, the poetic fragments will be recomposed into a song shaped by chance, resonance, and the shared imagination of its many contributors. In this way, the exhibition extends beyond the act of viewing: it becomes a living field wherein experiences with Su Xiaobai’s art alchemize into shared poetic song.