Maybe She Was There: Scotty So

Maybe She Was There is a solo exhibition by artist Scotty So, presenting a collection of new works that explore themes of nostalgia, immortality, and the artist’s whimsical, queer-inflected attempts to preserve beauty and legacy.

As So confronts the concept of “twink death”—a transitional phase marked by the decline of his youthful femininity—he simultaneously bears witness to the aging of loved ones, the birth of new life, and the inevitability of death. This juxtaposition prompts a deeper reflection on how beauty and youth might be sustained in a world where all things are destined to decay.

In this exhibition, So engages with a range of media, including AI-generated imagery and hyper-realistic sculpture, recontextualizing scenes drawn from mythology and film. These AI-generated images are presented through a combination of traditional and vintage techniques: Chinese court lady-themed ink on silk painting, hand-colored darkroom photography, a 1969 offset lithography calendar, and lenticular prints. By juxtaposing contemporary digital imagery with historical forms, each piece evokes a nostalgic sensibility for moments that have never truly occurred.

Through these investigations, So acknowledges the inevitability of time’s passage and the transience of all things. Yet, he envisions these works as a symbolic ‘portrait of Dorian Gray,’ preserving the fleeting qualities of his feminine youth, even as he continues to experience the inexorable process of aging.