Carsten Höller opens solo exhibition at Beijing’s UCCA

Artist Carsten Höller has launched his first institutional solo exhibition in China, titled “Two,” at the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. The exhibition, which runs through January 31, 2027, is described by the artist as a “Laboratory of Doubt.”

Curated by Philip Tinari and Jiashu Zou, the installation utilizes a dual-entrance system where visitors are randomly assigned to experience the exhibition in either color or black and white. This setup is designed to encourage viewers to compare their differing perspectives with others.

Key installations include “Pill Clock,” a piece featuring a mechanism that drops a pill containing an undisclosed, swallowable substance onto a pile every three seconds. Other works include “Tilted Carousel,” which features rotating monochrome and color versions, and “Sluice,” an installation involving glass sliding doors that require visitors to remain still for 30 seconds to trigger the exit.