Stellar ants

Artist Chen Zhiguang uses common stainless steel to make people notice the humble creatures. Lin Qi reports.

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.