NINA SECHKO . VOWA MANK
ROBINEAU is proud to announce its participation in ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, where the gallery will present works by Nina Sechko and Vowa Mank at booth P07. The presentation marks ROBINEAU’s return to Shanghai, at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, 12 - 15 November 2026. A duo presentation of two artists represented by the gallery, it does not follow a single theme: each artist is shown on their own terms.
NINA SECHKO — The Room of Light Preservation
Drawing upon Daoist philosophy and its resonance throughout East Asian thought, the works invite viewers into a contemplative space where light becomes both a spiritual metaphor and a living force.
Through her distinctive practice, Nina Sechko explores notions of balance, transformation, and the quiet preservation of what remains essential in an increasingly fragmented world.
Conceived as an immersive and meditative experience, The Room of Light Preservation proposes a sanctuary in which the invisible dimensions of existence are given form, offering a reflection on the enduring relationship between inner harmony, nature, and the rhythms of contemporary life.
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" My compositions reflects the Daoist principle of wu wei, in which influence emerges through restraint and alignment rather than force."
— Nina Sechko
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"This state reflects a Daoist understanding in which essence continues through absence, allowing light to be perceived through subtle traces."
— Nina Sechko
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"The installation aligns material presence with energetic flow, offering a contemplative system in which light is preserved through balance and care."
— Nina Sechko
EDITION : 3 + 1 AP ( SIGNED BY THE ARTIST )
MEDIUM : Resin, stainless steel, ABS plastic, LED, oil painting
DIMENSIONS : 180 x 150 x 65 cm (with pedestal)
PAINTING : Oil on canvas, 390 x 630 mm
THE ROOM OF LIGHT PRESERVATION
SCULPTURE
CONCEPT
A sculptural composition in which two figures support a box raised above their heads. Within this elevated enclosure rests a third figure, a girl holding a softly glowing pearl.
The figures are united through an act of mutual support, forming a balanced structure in which light is sustained through shared responsibility.
The supporting figures do not intervene directly; instead, they create a stable field in which the inner light can remain concentrated. The box functions as a vessel, a form defined by its capacity to hold and protect what is essential.
The pearl held by the figure refers to the Daoist concept of the Inner Pearl (neidan zhu), symbolising condensed vital energy and inner cultivation. Within this framework, light is understood as a gradual process of becoming formed through care and sustained attention
VOWA MANK - Instant noodles, 2024
VOWA MANK
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Vowa Mank’s practice centers on the human figure as a site of perception and internal intensity. His works engage with states of presence in which time expands within, allowing subtle psychological conditions to fully emerge. The work draws on shared human conditions and experiences.
Vowa constructs the image through a tectonic process, a meticulous accumulation of micro-elements, where each point contributes to the emergence of form. This process creates a dynamic relationship between proximity and distance, in which the image shifts between abstraction and legibility. The point becomes the fundamental unit through which it force us to recognize the limits of our perceptual apparatus and the constructed nature of our reality.
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MEDIUM : Oil on linen canvas
FRAME : Custom frame covered with leather tanned with plant extracts
DIMENSIONS : 165 x 110 cm; 173 x 118 x 5 cm (in the frame)
“In this compressed posture, reflection recedes into the background and fatigue becomes the dominant sensation. It is a moment when a person seems to fold inward, withdrawing slightly from everything around them.
There is nothing remarkable in his hands: just an ordinary cup of instant noodles, something like Doshirak. I have found myself in that state too — sitting there, holding this warm container, and suddenly it becomes the centre of everything. Not because it matters, but because there is nothing else left. No energy, no alternatives.
Here, the noodles are no longer about food. Rather, they speak of that condition in which small things unexpectedly acquire a particular significance. When it is enough simply to feel warmth. When a pause lingers a little longer than usual, and a person remains within it.” — Vowa Mank
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MEDIUM : Oil, MDF, primer, hand crafted pillow frame
DIMENSIONS : 30 x 15 cm each; 50 x 40 x 6 cm (in the frame)
In his artistic practice, Mank explores the fragility of belief and the nature of doubt. The series The Twelve Apostles is rooted in universal psychological archetypes, where classical narratives serve merely as a point of departure. They initiate a broader dialogue about the search for inner grounding, the pursuit of truth, and the contemplation of enduring values in a constantly changing world.
The visual language of the project emerges at the intersection of classical painting and contemporary patterns of behaviour. Executed in oil on small wooden panels, the works deliberately adopt the proportions of a smartphone screen. The method of painting, in which the image is built from countless minute dots of colour, enters into a subtle dialogue with the pixelated nature of digital reality. The extreme, almost unsettling intimacy between modern individuals and their devices is expressed metaphorically through oversized frames that evoke soft pillows.