{"id":2446,"date":"2025-07-17T14:19:20","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T14:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/?p=2446"},"modified":"2025-07-18T17:33:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T17:33:31","slug":"tender-cute-and-absurd-rong-baos-inflatable-sculptures-plug-into-the-emotional-wobble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/17\/tender-cute-and-absurd-rong-baos-inflatable-sculptures-plug-into-the-emotional-wobble\/","title":{"rendered":"Tender, Cute, and Absurd, Rong Bao\u2019s Inflatable Sculptures Plug Into the \u2018Emotional Wobble\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tender,<\/p>\n

From PVC, silicone-coated fabrics, nylon mesh, electronics, and other found or manipulated materials, Rong Bao<\/a> creates oddly personable inflatable sculptures. “My fascination with inflatable structures began when I realized how absurd, tender, and unstable they could be\u2014all at once,” the artist tells Colossal. “Unlike rigid materials, inflatables breathe, wobble, collapse, and revive. They seem alive, with a sense of humor and vulnerability that deeply resonates with me.”<\/p>\n

Rong’s ongoing series of alien-like creatures tread the boundaries between humor and discomfort, abstraction and representation, and what she describes as “cuteness and existential instability.” The artist takes on a role akin to a playful mad scientist\u2014just imagine Frankenstein’s unpredictable monster as a bouncy, neon pink confection.<\/p>\n

\"an
“Alien Babe No.1”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rong spends several weeks to months getting each composition just right by sketching, prototyping elements, testing inflation behavior and structural integrity, then fabricating the final piece. “It often involves a lot of trial and error\u2014and a lot of laughter and despair in between,” she says.<\/p>\n

Rong was recently featured in an episode of the BBC’s children’s television program, Go Get Arty<\/a><\/em>, and is currently working on a commission for Harper’s Bazaar China <\/em>that incorporates a traditional, lightweight silk fabric with deep cultural roots in China.<\/p>\n

“I see my practice as a playground of soft contradictions\u2014between seriousness and silliness, desire and failure, monumentality and deflation,” Rong says. “Many of my pieces are meant to be touched, entered, or even played with. I love it when viewers smile and laugh, and then suddenly feel a little unsettled. That moment of emotional wobble\u2014that\u2019s the space I\u2019m after.”<\/p>\n

Rong’s work was recently on view in Selfridges’ display windows, part of a series titled New Age <\/em>in which the department store showcased 15 emerging artists. And she also recently completed a large-scale commission titled “Carnivorous Bloom” for Pinacoteca Agnelli<\/a> in Torino, Italy. Find more on the artist’s website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"an
Selfridges installation view of “Crown of Perception”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Detail of “Alien Babe No.1”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
“Enigma”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
“Sanctuary of the Unclaimed”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
“Pink Roundabout”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
“Triple Bills”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Detail of “Alien Babe No.2”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
“Unnamed Directory”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Tender, Cute, and Absurd, Rong Bao’s Inflatable Sculptures Plug Into the ‘Emotional Wobble’<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From PVC, silicone-coated fabrics, nylon mesh, electronics, and other found or manipulated materials, Rong Bao creates oddly personable<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2446"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2459,"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446\/revisions\/2459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deaoli.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}