My Body is Dust - Asylum Chapel

Overview

SPIRA9’s My Body is Dust unfolds at London’s Asylum Chapel as the second chapter of the Othering series, transforming the non-restored, time-worn structure into a site of ongoing use rather than fixed meaning.

Rather than activating the chapel through restoration or spectacle, My Body is Dust invites bodies to enter, linger, rest, and return—allowing space, time, and presence to co-exist in states of uncertainty. Grounded in Giorgio Agamben’s notion of “use” as a condition of being-with rather than function, the exhibition dissolves the boundaries between viewing and inhabiting, decay and regeneration, artwork and residue. Here, the exhibition does not conclude or declare; it accumulates traces, gestures, and durations, leaving only the record of its use.

Dive into haunting art and stories at Asylum Chapel's "My Body is Dust" – a raw, unforgettable live exhibit.
We are delighted to announce the exhibition "My body is dust", organised by SPIRA9_Art and curated by Zhang Junze, which will be presented from 7 to 10 February 2026.

My Body is Dust takes place in London's Asylum Chapel, which is not an intact historic building, but a space that has been opened several times, then abandoned, and is still in view today. Its walls, glass windows, structure, and mutilations are like a body, changing over time. We don't want it forced to restore its original function, nor do we want to give it a new meaning. Instead, we want to let it enter a state of being used without being prescribed.

Based on Giorgio Agamben's (1942- ) The L’uso dei corpi, this book attempts to detach 'use' from function and purpose. Agamben points out that use is neither possession nor a completed act, but a state of being with something. In this sense, the body is not a subject, nor a starting point for action, but a being that is always in use. The exhibition will begin by exploring how the body enters a space, remains within it, and passes the time.

There will be chairs scattered randomly throughout the gallery.These chairs may form part of an art installation, or serve as both a guide for pedestrian flow and a resting area. They are simply placed between works, in passages, at the edges of structures. They serve as a presence that can be used or ignored. Sitting down does not signify the commencement of viewing. Conversely, rising does not mark the conclusion of observation. The body can linger, lean, hesitate, or pass the same path over and over again without realizing it. Viewing is no longer a task to be accomplished, but a state that can be interrupted at any time.

The body is not asked to understand anything in this space. It is simply allowed to exist, to be slowly used up by time. The body is not an entity that possesses itself, but a place that can only be revealed in use. The exhibition really happens when the viewer sits down, gets up, and returns, not as an object to be viewed, but as a period of time used by the body. Dust, often a symbol of death, can represent this very cycle, becoming a new beginning. It adheres to the surface of the building, and is also stirred up, drawn in, and settled again in the actions of the people.

Dust carries memories without fixing any meaning. It is both a residue and a condition of generation. Within the exhibition, the pair of concepts 'decay' and 'regeneration' need not remain mutually exclusive. They may coexist within a process of continuous utilisation. 'Dust', as the residue of death, persists in a state of low intensity. It is a state of the body that is still being used, but no longer owned or archived.

We do not seek to awaken a dormant space, nor do we promise a definitive outcome. The exhibition embraces uncertainty, deviation, and misinterpretation, and the gradual loss of clarity as works pass through repeated encounters. The life of a church may stem from some pivotal event. More significantly, it arises from the accumulation of countless minute and seemingly purposeless acts of use. When bodies enter here, linger, move, and return, the space ceases to be an object to be viewed and becomes a place still in use. The exhibition leaves no conclusions; only traces of its use are recorded.

Invited Artist:

13god / Aida Pouryeganeh / Anastasia Neff / Blackout Collective (Valeriia Lakrisenko & Alexander Belov) / Charlotte Saint Cullen / Claudi Piripippi / Crimson DM Lily / David L. Stewart / Diane Eagles / Doğan Özdemir / Doupu / Eric A. Johnson / Eva Oleandr / Federico Tejeda / FINA FERRARA / Francesca Tomlinson / Giulio Cusinato / Grace Tenneh Kromah / Hannah Clarkson / Helga Borbas / Lily Ziwen Li / Lu Meng (Luna Meng) / Iola Hilliker / Irena Paskali / Jane Hatfield / Jelena Perišić / Joana Pereira da Costa / Judy Maxwell-McNicol / Katia Be / Kristina Rutar / Lara Gallagher / Lu Jin / Luca and Katrina Dayanc / Niah McGiff / Nikki Allford / Olesia Kryvolapova / Oyedeji Mohammed / Roseline (Jingyuan) Zhang / Sai Ma / Saud Baloch / Sarah Cherpreau / Shelley Lafferty / Silvia Braida / Victoria Julia Valentine / Yana Dmitrieva / Yeri Jun / Yiwen Liang

Special Opening Night Performance:

This is another performance event in the Othering series. Please embrace the uncertainty and come over for a break and a seat. Join us to create with the artists!

1. As we lay dying

Performance丨Juice Cui Santi Lowe Mega Geng Siqi Chen

Installation丨Juice Cui & Mega Geng

Description丨Performance with the Audience

2. Rite in lingering ground

Performance丨Lanyun Huang(Finch)

Dimensions丨20mins

Description丨Through actions such as breathing and the burning of skin, the artist releases queer affect from the dual constraints of pathologization and romanticization.

3. Pulse: Jazz Improv.

Performance丨JAE-X

Dimensions丨15 mins, moving through different musical sections.

Description丨Tabla solo piece with improv representing the pulse of the body, from the heart. The internal rhythm.

The performance represents the human rhythm of the heart and the internal pulse we have in our body. And the way it manifests into the way we interact with ourselves and the environment.

4. When We Listen to Our Body through Emotions [II]

Performance丨Roseline (Jingyuan) Zhang

Medium丨Interdisciplinary painting and performance

Description丨Performing a painting using bodily traces on a 3m x 3m canvas. Through drawing and movement, invisible sensations are translated into physical and visual form.

Curator: Junze Zhang

Venue: Asylum Chapel, Caroline Gardens, Asylum Road, London SE15 2SQ

Visual Design: Qingxuan Zhang

*For this exhibition, visitors should note the following points:

1. Chairs may be moved by assistants at any time, and even the positioning of some artworks may shift over time.

2. We do not announce specific times for the opening or performances in advance. Only a general timeframe will be provided. Visitors should attend the exhibition and performances at times they firmly believe to be appropriate.

3. "The nth Use" constitutes a pivotal component of the exhibition. All minute alterations, occurrences, and residual traces within the exhibition will be archived. Any individual or event may become the focal point of this "use". Visitors may observe these records via designated platforms within the venue.

4. Visitors are required to maintain continuous awareness of on-site transformations. We warmly encourage documentation of these shifts.

5. Visitors must embrace all uncertainties inherent to the live environment. Any unforeseen incidents or emergent events form integral aspects of the exhibition.

6. Visitors may note the scattered texts throughout the gallery and attempt to decipher their meaning.

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