Artist Talk | Archives, Thomas Sauvin & Liu Shiming

On February 24, 2026, the Liu Shiming Art Foundation welcomed guests to the opening reception of Archives, followed by an artist talk featuring Thomas Sauvin in conversation with Maëlle Ebelle at the Liu Shiming Art Gallery in Midtown Manhattan.

The evening marked the public opening of Archives, an exhibition that brings into dialogue photographs from Thomas Sauvin’s long-term project “Beijing Silvermine” and sculptures by Liu Shiming. Installed across the gallery space, the exhibition presents newly conceived pairings between Sauvin’s handmade C-type silver prints and Liu’s works in bronze and ceramic, inviting viewers to consider how different media register everyday life and collective memory.

During the conversation, Sauvin reflected on his years in Beijing and the origins of the Beijing Silvermine project, which began with the recovery of hundreds of thousands of discarded negatives from a recycling factory. He spoke about the material and ethical dimensions of working with vernacular archives, as well as the process of selecting, printing, and reframing amateur photographs produced between 1985 and 2005.

In dialogue with Maëlle Ebelle, the discussion extended to questions of preservation and translation across mediums. While photography captures a specific moment in time, Liu Shiming’s sculptures transform similar gestures and attitudes into volume and duration. The exchange illuminated how archival images and sculptural form can operate in parallel, constructing different yet complementary modes of remembering.

The evening underscored the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to fostering conversations that situate Liu Shiming’s work within broader historical and contemporary contexts. “Archives” remains on view through May 17, 2026, at the Liu Shiming Art Gallery, 15 East 40th Street, 5th Floor, New York.