Renee So’s solo exhibition at Compton Verney presents new snuff bottles inspired by contemporary perfumes that reference imperial histories. Ritual vessels trace the Taotie, a mythological Chinese creature, back to the early history of silk weaving, pioneered by women. Other works focus on cuju, an ancient Chinese football game once played in the Imperial courts by both men and women.

Drawing on Compton Verney’s collection of Chinese bronzes and ceramics, So reflects on how histories are distorted, re-fashioned, and retold, asking how the stories we inherit shape the new ones we create today.