Somewhere soft by Artisan Tribes. The Three Realms of Kung Fu
“The Three Realms of Kung Fu”, a multidisciplinary exhibition curated by Artisan Tribes.
“Somewhere Soft”, a multidisciplinary exhibition curated by Artisan Tribes (Mingzhuo Zheng, Yagu Hong, Kunao Yan).
This project reinterprets kung fu not only as a martial art, but as a poetic philosophy — exploring the alignment of body, nature, and spirit through photography, sound, moving image, and participatory installations.
The world is never wrong; it is the fragility of our souls that is. We cannot escape the wounds of the world, and so, we learn to live with the pain of the soul. Growth, like kung fu, is an exploration of the realm where “the heart precedes all things.” The true purpose of kung fu is not just physical training, but through inner and outer cultivation, to gain a profound understanding of oneself, others, and the world, ultimately achieving a balance between body and mind. Growth is the same. This exhibition will begin with photography and film screenings, focusing on the exploration of balance between body and mind by young people.
Day 1: Photography Exhibition Opening & Music Performance
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Photography Exhibition Opening & Music Performance. Opening speech Kung fu-themed music performance, combining kung fu with music for a unique artistic experience and setting the atmosphere
Day 2: Film Night: Somewhere Soft
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
An evening of cinema dedicated to East Asian youth culture. Somewhere Soft presents a series of short films that move between the Mongolian steppe, Japanese workplaces, Berlin campuses, and British suburbs, exploring themes of identity, memory, and belonging.
The screening includes:
Graveyard of Horses · 17 mins – A pregnant herder and her young daughter are caught in a snowstorm on the Mongolian steppe, leading them into unfamiliar territory.
Life Is Snow · 30 mins – Inside a Japanese police station, the struggles of Chinese migrant workers unfold through the eyes of the “left-behind orphan” community.
After All · 25 mins – At a Berlin university, a therapist supports a grieving student as she processes the suicide of a trans woman on campus.
DIU · 5 mins – In a quiet British town, a Chinese immigrant is thrilled to meet a compatriot—only to discover an unbridgeable distance between them.
Before Then · 30 mins – Secrets briefly surface but quickly retreat behind closed doors, as women linger at the threshold, holding onto moments that cannot last.
Following the screening, there will be a Q&A session with the directors, offering insight into their creative processes and perspectives on East Asian youth today.
The evening then transitions into a vibrant atmosphere with a live DJ set and networking, blending Eastern and Western sounds to create a space for conversation, cultural exchange, and connection.
Day 3: Film Night: Somewhere Soft
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Somewhere Soft continues with an evening of screenings that trace the lives, identities, and emotions of East Asian youth. Through a carefully curated selection of short films, the programme captures moments of fragility and resilience, belonging and distance, turbulence and stillness.
Unlike the opening night, this session is a dedicated film screening only — offering audiences the chance to immerse themselves fully in the cinematic experience without Q&A or live performance.
