Stellar ants displayed with dignity

Ant sculptures, made of stainless steel and in various sizes, occupy the entrance and exhibition halls at Beijing's Today Art Museum, where Chinese artist Chen Zhiguang is holding his solo show,With Dignity. Photo provided to China Daily

The scene at Chen Zhiguang's ongoing solo exhibition at Today Art Museum in Beijing will make some people's skin crawl.

Clusters of magnified ants, made of stainless steel and in various sizes, occupy the floor and parts of the wall near the ceiling. Outside the gallery, a gigantic ant is placed on a slope of the building, which otherwise serves as the entrance to the museum. Visitors are expected to walk underneath the insect's body.

"In the eyes of most people, ants are tiny little things, very common and inconspicuous. And stainless steel is seen as an unexceptional material, not typically used to project high taste," Chen, 52, says.