"The Black Box Within the White Cube" | Twelve Moments from Chakme's Film The Little Ring

2026

Color, Sound, Single-Channel Digital Video

25 min 33 sec

Provided by Mengjie Pictures

The Little Ring is originally an arthouse film. We have adapted it into a special exhibition edition for gallery presentation, which also represents a unique interpretive approach to the film. It is rare for a cinematic work to enter the exhibition space of an art gallery, but what makes this project special is the participation of over a dozen artists who not only perform in the film but also have their artworks deeply integrated into its creation. The purpose of including these artists’ works is to make the film a connective bridge between the gallery and the cinema—a Cinema-Gallery Symbiosis (黑白双幕). The exhibition edition is installed in the gallery space, where film-related events can be held alongside the display of artworks. After watching the film in the cinema, viewers can visit the gallery to explore its details; after experiencing the gallery exhibition, they can return to the cinema to revisit the film, forming a closed-loop, two-way experiential journey. This is our distinctive design—an exploration of the connection between the white cube and the black box: the white cube representing art exhibition spaces such as galleries, museums, and art spaces, and the black box referring to the screen-centered cinema. The two forms of artistic experience merge through this work.

The exhibition’s core space is a replica of the tent from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau featured in the film. Twelve selected video segments are played here in a continuous loop. In this setting, the moving image is not merely viewed—it becomes an immersive “presence.” The audience enters this utterly private domain, physically immersed in its enveloping stillness, and within this atmosphere, turns their gaze inward to contemplate the emotions both on and off the screen.

The exhibition edition features over a dozen key sequences from the film. The selection and presentation of each segment are intentional—closely tied to the plot, enhancing emotional expression, and infused with a humanistic-philosophical mode of thinking. They form an exclusive methodology for interpreting the story. These sequences are carefully crafted by the director. It is precisely this thoughtful and profound creative approach that gives concrete form to the film’s philosophical core, making these moments essential to the exhibition’s interpretation of the artistic works and ideas within the film, as well as the underlying humanistic philosophy.

Synopsis

Shanghai businessman Wu Ming plans to propose to his girlfriend, Jane. At the same time, however, Jane is helping her artist ex-boyfriend, Zhao Yao, prepare an exhibition inspired by the Tibetan region. Suspicion and unease grow in Wu Ming’s heart, leading to conflict between the couple. The planned proposal is suspended in misunderstanding and silence. Days later, Jane decides to travel alone to Tibet for research. Knowing that the sacred plateau is the place Jane yearns for most, Wu Ming joins her, carrying the carefully chosen but undelivered ring—hoping to fulfill the interrupted promise in the landscape she loves most. Yet, a few days later, a different small ring appears on Jane’s finger...

Director

Chakme

Screenplay

Chakme, Liu Jianqiang

Producer

Xu Qianya

Starring

Li Zhen, Lu Qiwei

Participating Artists

Xu Zhen, Zhao Yao, Guan Xiao, Qiu Anxiong, Lu Pingyuan, Yang Zhenzhong, Wu Xiaohang, Ding Li, Ma Wu, He An, Zhou Dawei (in no particular order)