When I first heard of Beijing-based sculptor Shi Jin Song, it was for his 2006 exhibit, Na Zha Baby Boutique. The tongue-in-cheek collection of was a series of deadly-looking steel baby accessories intended for Na Zha, the toddler deity of pranks and tantrums who Song says, “cuts his own flesh and commits suicide to save his father, fights the dragon king, and overturns the universe.” The work was interesting, but a little too precious for my tastes.

Song’s Take Off The Armor’s Mountain has a more surreal feel, and I’d argue makes a far more interesting use of stainless steel. The installation is a series of chainmail “pelts” hung from the rafters of the gallery, as if in a tannery. Despite the metal materials, the “skins” maintain a kind of organic quality with their imperfect geometry and varying sizes (say from squirrel to mountain lion). Before the exhibit opened, the skins were glossed with oil for maximum sheen. Bowls were placed below to collect the drippings and the sculptures appeared to “bleed.”

The effect is gorgeous, otherworldly and perhaps a little tragic, implying both a species of shimmering metallic creatures, and their slaughter and skinning.