Triumph Gallery will present the group exhibition of artists, "Placeholder," from December 27, 2025, to March 8, 2026. 

In the context of German art, there is a term used to convey a concept of creative intention: Platzhalter. It can be translated as “托物” in Chinese or as “placeholder” in English. The term refers to an artist’s use of a concrete subject or object as a vehicle for expressing their artistic intent, or the use of an obvious form to reveal hidden content. What the audience perceives, however, is often only the “surface” of the work—the objects themselves are not the essence, but rather serve as a pretext for the artist’s formal exploration. Through this kind of “inversion,” the secondary nature of the object collides with the centrality of creative intent, generating artistic tension. In other words, form and content become carriers of one another, mutually reflecting and reinforcing each other within the work.

The idea of “expressing ideas through form, with meaning preceding technique” (a phrase adapted from classical Chinese art theory) also finds resonance in traditional Chinese literati painting. Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are often used as symbols of personality and aspiration. In these works, the subjects—flowers, landscapes, gardens—are not the ultimate purpose but instead function as a means to “convey emotions through things” ( 托物抒情 , a well-known expression in Chinese aesthetics). While the viewer sees blossoms and trees, what they truly experience is the sentiment and artistic spirit the painter has imbued within them. At times, as artists, what we are actually presenting is nothing more than the brushwork itself and the arrangement of the pictorial space. It is, in an abstract sense, like the old Chinese saying: “the drinker’s intention lies not in the wine” ( 醉翁之意不在酒 , a proverb originating from the Northern Song essayist Ouyang Xiu).

The artists featured in this exhibition all ground their artistic practice in the contemporary visual conventions of the European continent, with a background in German education. Their works sometimes appear austere, elegant, and grand, while at other times they are filled with humor, paradox, and cultural conflict: some narratives unfold from a Western perspective on Eastern themes, while others express Western concepts through the lens of Eastern artistic sensibilities. Through paintings, sculptures, and installations that interact with the space, the exhibition explores how artists convey their inner selves through concrete forms or present structures through abstract formal language. It also examines how they understand and utilize space to establish a deeper connection between their works and the environment. Here, space itself is transformed into a kind of "placeholder" that complements and reinforces the artworks, thereby enriching the concept of "placeholder" with multiple layers and possibilities.