Forget Me Not
Xu Yang
12 June - 10 July 2025
Normandy
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von Goetz is pleased to announce Forget Me Not, a solo exhibition by Xu Yang, hosted at the Château de Lantheuil in Normandy, France, from 12 June to 10 July 2025.
For the exhibition, Xu Yang (b. 1996 Shandong, China) will develop an entirely new body of work displayed throughout the Château, exploring recurring themes of the Rococo and Asian culture, as well as drawing inspiration from the history of Château de Lantheuil.
Known for her narrative and sumptuous paintings, Xu weaves together memories of her Chinese heritage, and subsequent curiosity in European art history.
Exploring memories, legacy, and time, Xu Yang’s paintings capture the beauty and ephemerality of a culture. Her reimagined still-life paintings and ceramic sculptures offer the viewer an array of intriguing symbols and narrative clues.
As Xu recently said “In something as intimate as the fingerprints of my mother on a sealed dumpling, I see an entire family and community. In something as delicate as the blue petals of a forget-me-not, I see the precariousness of time. And in something as enduring as gold, I see the power of legacy”.
Xu’s paintings and sculptures feature flowers, insects, animals, dumplings, wigs, frames, gold and porcelain.
They blur the line between old masters and contemporary art, conjuring a dialogue between the East and West. Château de Lantheuil was built in 1613. The Louis XIII landmark was home to French economist Marquis Turgot. The Château houses interior decoration from Louis XV to Louis XVI, 1st Empire and Napoleon III.
Placed within the context of Château de Lantheuil and its collection of portraiture and family heirlooms, Xu’s enigmatic paintings invite viewers to consider what a cultural legacy means today.
Lucy von Goetz, Director of von Goetz & Curator of Forget Me Not, said “We are beyond excited to bring the exceptional work of Xu Yang to Lantheuil for her solo exhibition. Xu’s refined visual language, which merges the East and the West, the historic and the contemporary, the earthly and the surreal, is set to engage audiences in a dialogue with the castle’s storied past and its family art collection. This exhibition sets out our commitment to showcasing the finest artists whose work resonates with the time and setting they inhabit.”
This unique exhibition has been made possible by the kind personal permission of the Turgot family.
Press Release - French Translation by Eugenia Durandy de Naurois-Turgot
Image: Detail Xu Yang, 2025. Courtesy the artist and von Goetz. Photo: Victoria Cantons
About the artist
Xu Yang
Xu Yang (b. 1996, Shandong) lives and works in London, UK. She studied Fine Art Painting at Wimbledon College of Arts (UAL) 2015-18, and graduated with an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in 2020.
Xu Yang’s multidisciplinary practice explores themes of identity, sexuality, and culture, weaving together both personal and universal experiences. Her work is deeply rooted in an excavation of history, drawing on influences from the Rococo era, mythology, and her own Chinese heritage. This fusion allows her to create a contemporary narrative that addresses the complexities of human nature while reflecting the richness and challenges of her cultural background. Often inserting her own image into her painting, by directly confronting the viewer her work encourages audiences to question and challenge societal constructs.
Institutional exhibitions include "The Cult of Beauty", Wellcome Collection, London (2023). Xu was recently awarded a commission by Tate Collective for LGBTQIA+ history month (2023). She was the winner of the Barbican Arts Group Trust ArtWorks Open (2019), and was shortlisted for the Contemporary Young Artist Prize (2020). Recent solo exhibitions include ”Daughter, Sister, Mother, Monster”, Berntson Bhattacharjee, London (2024); “Imagine Yourself a Warrior", Mou Projects, Hong Kong (2023); "Therefore I am", Dio Horia, Athens (2022). She has been shown at Simon Lee Gallery, Josh Lilley Gallery, and Saatchi Gallery.
Instagram @_xu.yang_
Image: Studio view Xu Yang, 2025. Courtesy the artist and von Goetz. Photo: Ryan Bater
About von Goetz:
von Goetz was launched in 2017 by Lucy von Goetz in a warehouse in Brixton to present a programme of contemporary artists with a curatorial focus in London. Now von Goetz is based in Battersea, London and travels around the world to unique sites to organise and curate exhibitions of the most exceptional contemporary artists. Lucy von Goetz is an art adviser, curator, and gallerist.
Instagram @vongoetz_
About Château de Lantheuil:
Home to the Marquis Turgot since the 17th century, the Normandy Estate was built in Louis XIII style in 1613. Set in Normandy’s Bessin region; a magnificent wooded valley halfway between Caen and Bayeux. The estate is bordered by a double row of 300-year-old beech trees and has a formal French garden. Occupied by the Germans and the British during WWII, Lantheuil has many a tale to tell, including how Montgomery used the dining room table to plan the Battle for Caen in 1944. The descendants of the Turgot family still live here today. Eugenia Durandy de Naurois-Turgot directs the arts and culture programme at the family home.
Instagram @chateaudelantheuil & @omgitseugenia
Image: Château de Lantheuil. Courtesy the Turgot family. Photo: Eugenia Durandy
Plan your visit
Hours & rates - Château & gardens
Château de Lantheuil, 14480, Lantheuil, Normandy, France
Open daily: 12th June to 10th July, 2.30 pm - 6.30 pm
Château guided tour: 3pm, 4pm, 5pm
Adults: 10€
Children 7-15 years: 6€
Children under 7 years: Free
Train from Paris: Travel from Paris Saint-Lazare to Bayeux (2h 20m), then a 20 min taxi or rental car drive to Lantheuil.
Drive from Paris: Approximately 160 miles via the A13 motorway.
Travel from London: Eurostar to Paris (2h 40m), transfer Saint-Lazare by Metro or taxi. Alternatively, fly to Paris (1h 20m).
Car park is free. Signposted clearly from the road. Tickets purchased on site.
If you have any questions in regards to accessibility for visitors with disabilities, or to arrange any additional support for your visit, please email us on info@vongoetz.uk