Scotty So, Riding the Autumn Breeze, Beauties of the Four Seasons, 2024, ink on silk, digital animation on LED TV, 92 x 52 cm, edition of 3 + 2 AP. Courtesy of MARS and the artist.

Maybe She Was There is a solo exhibition by artist Scotty So, presenting a collection of new works that explore themes of nostalgia, immortality and the artist’s whimsical, queer-inflected attempts to preserve beauty and legacy.

As So confronts the concept of “twink death” – a transitional phase marked by the decline of his youthful femininity – he simultaneously bears witness to the aging of loved ones, the birth of new life, and the inevitability of death. This juxtaposition prompts a deeper reflection on how beauty and youth might be sustained in a world where all things are destined to decay.

In this exhibition, So engages with a range of media, including AI-generated imagery and hyper-realistic sculpture, recontextualizing scenes drawn from mythology and film. These AI-generated images are presented through a combination of traditional and vintage techniques: Chinese court lady-themed ink on silk painting, hand-colored darkroom photography, a 1969 offset lithography calendar, and lenticular prints.

Through these investigations, So acknowledges the inevitability of time’s passage and the transience of all things. Yet, he envisions these works as a symbolic ‘portrait of Dorian Gray,’ preserving the fleeting qualities of his feminine youth, even as he continues to experience the inexorable process of aging.

Opening night: Friday 6 December, 6-8pm