A pomegranate seed caught between teeth, juice seeping out in that fleeting instant—more direct than any whispered confession. This is the recurring image in the lens of photographer Lin Zhipeng, better known by his alias "No. 223": brief, damp, gone in a flash. The name is borrowed from the numbered cop in Chungking Express, and in a way, it sets the tone for his work—that particular mood of youth, solitude, and an irresistible urge to get close to someone.
Saint Laurent Rive Droite Beijing has now become the site of his solo exhibition, curated personally by the brand's creative director Anthony Vaccarello. Drawn from Lin's extensive archive, the selected works zero in on intimacy, timed to coincide with Qixi Festival—China's answer to Valentine's Day, falling around August 19. The whole show carries a lingering, hazy sensuality that hasn't quite let go of late summer.
There's little theatrical posing in the exhibition space. Plump fruit rests beside sun-drenched flowers; two entwined bodies are wrapped in warm tones, evoking a sun-baked afternoon. In an interview with Dazed, Lin described the mood of these photographs as "calm, unhurried, carrying a subtle sense of desire"—a description that could just as easily apply to the pacing of the whole exhibition. No single image rushes to tell a complete story; each frame feels like the last second before someone hits pause.
The exhibition is now open at Saint Laurent Rive Droite Beijing and will run through September 11. Ticket information and further details have not been publicly released.
