Slavs and Tatars, the research-based art collective, opened their first solo exhibition in Hong Kong titled “胡 ( هو / who) are you?” at Rossi & Rossi, running until May 9, 2026. The show gathers iconic projects and new commissions across various media, playfully probing the philosophical question of identity and belonging. Co-founder Payam Sharifi discusses works such as the handblown glass melon sculptures in "Dark Yelblow" (2025), which explore cultural stereotypes and the figure of the Other, and the "Love Me, Love Me Not" series, which recovers original place names and scripts to reveal the layered complexity of empires.
The exhibition matters because it exemplifies Slavs and Tatars’ distinctive approach to unraveling the complexities of religion, politics, and language in the region they call Eurasia—the area East of the former Berlin Wall and West of the Great Wall of China. By blending intellectual references with a low-brow, witty aesthetic, the collective challenges facile narratives of history and identity, offering a nuanced reflection on how alphabets, fruits, and road signs can carry political and cultural weight. The show also highlights the ongoing relevance of their bibliophilic, research-driven practice in contemporary art discourse.