Under the covering of the xiantian energy zhen xus entire body is only a blur, but his icecold eerie eyes still look frightening. Exciting, as is the work of the armory show 2014 commissioned artist xu zhen. The main room of his selftitled show at james cohan contains three paintings from his under heaven. After spending two years working in the countryside during the cultural revolution, he enrolled in 1977 at the central academy of fine arts in beijing, where his studies focused on drawing and printmaking. Xu zhens provocative aesthetics relies on both conceptual and pop strategies.
A madein company production includes a number of xu zhens landmark works. Shock artist xu zhens leap from prankster to ceo cnn style. Ironically mirroring postmao chinas journey into consumerism, he has since transformed himself into a brand with the creation in 2009 of. Read stellar transformations book 2 chapter 24 online for. Under heaven by guy gavriel kay is a book that i have picked up and put back down in bookshops more time than i can count. Flirtatious pink, not revolutionary red, is xu zhens color. It focuses on the power to create and produce art and strives to explore the infinite possibilities of contemporary culture. He has been awarded the international goliardos prize for his work in the literature of the fantastic. A year later, in a video called shouting, he let out a series of loud screams in. The same blue also appeared in swirls of a patissiere nozzle painting from xu zhens under heaven. His projects are informed by performance and conceptual art. San sheng san shi zhen shang shu, also known as three lives three worlds, the pillow book, is a 2020 chinese television series starring dilraba dilmurat and gao weiguang.
An extremely terrifying force bursts forth from inside his body like a volcano eruption. Twenty puts together various images from xu zhens recent series 20 from under heaven, reminiscent of rich desserts and sugar frosting from the land of cockaigne. When asked about the difference between madein company and xu zhen, his answer is logical. Mar 06, 2014 his work appears in conjunction with the fairs focus. Though the space at ucca is stretched unavoidably thin by the sheer volume of xu zhens retrospective, the exhibition, which cost millions to orchestrate, allows the artist and madein to present a relatively complete picture of all of the activities and projects in which theyve engaged over the years. I love the idea of chinese based fantasy and the premise of the book promised adventure and intrigue that seemed to fit perfectly for the setting. Oct 04, 20 each year the armory show, new yorks largest art fair, commissions one artist to make his or her mark on the event, with tote bags and ephemera, an onsite installation and the production of an edition of prints to benefit the museum of modern art. Xu zhen is a very unique personality in the contemporary art world in china. Under heaven by xu zhen, gallery alriwaq, doha, qatar. Armory show to highlight a shanghai artist the new york times.
Nov 16, 2016 youll have seen xu zhens under heaven paintings before. Creating art firstly under his own name, then evolving, in 2009, into the madein company brand, the artist has recently introduced a new title, xu zhen, while remaining under the madein nomenclature. Xu zhen under heaven 2019 fiberglass, paint 59 18 x 49 14 x 49 14 in 150 x 125 x 125 cm edition of 3. Xu zhen first came to international attention when his video work rainbow 1998 was exhibited at the 49th venice biennale in 2001, one of the oldest and most important art exhibitions in the world. Nov 17, 2014 xu bing, book from the ground concept store, a special project by bank gallery. Wearing darkframed glasses, jeans and a black tshirt, he would fit smoothly into any firm in seattle or palo alto.
These imposing, hulking sculptures are actually made of polyurethane foam a light malleable material, similar to the accessories of stage sets, which xu zhen uses to underscore the following paradox. According to the gallery literature, these are patterns typical of xu zhen s signature works, under heaven, which are created with oil paints squeezed onto canvases through pastry bags and preserved in all their rich, layered, colorful decadence. On this occasion, detailed images of the series under heaven by xu zhen, commissioned artist of the armory, were featured in all the visual promotional materials. Though the temperature inside seems only a little above freezing, xu zhen s studio flows with creative energy. Titled under heaven and here on earth, the collaboration pays homage to the artists oeuvre blending pop cultural references with the human psyche and emotions. Xu zhen is a conceptual artist whose work often takes the form of provocative sculptures, installations and interventions that confront sociopolitical taboos in contemporary china and freely manipulate western expectations of chinese art and commerce.
It is his eleventh novel and was published in april 2010 by viking canada. This specially curated collaboration includes xu zhen s iconic under heaven series that recalls the playful and sweet nature of love. His extensive body of work, which includes photography, installation art and video, entails theatrical humor and social critique. Installation, performance, and video artist xu zhen combines humor and irony in his works, offering critique of political and artworld systems of human exploitation. In recognition of his service to the emperor of kitai, shen tai has been sent a mysterious and dangerous gift. Thursday, september 8, 68 pm james cohan is pleased to present a solo exhibition by the multidisciplinary chinese artist xu zhen. The massive appearance of these sculptures contrasts with the fragility of the material an ever so symbolic metaphor of the social and.
He is a leading figure among the young generation of chinese artists. Pop idol cai xukun becomes one with the artistic vision of multimedia xu zhen in this fantastic photoshoot by wu ming. His extensive body of work, which includes photography, installation art, and video, entails theatrical humor and social critique. Join facebook to connect with zhen xu and others you may know. Even though there are still many spies under the command of the intelligence chief, these. At the same time, the compositions seem to mock abstract painting and art that is mechanically produced, bearing no individuality, uniqueness or signature, but only becoming an. The armory show looks to the east art agenda phaidon. Ice forms on desultory puddles and residual snow lurks in shadowy corners. The novel is based on a fictionalized version of the an shi rebellion.
Under heaven series under heaven, a magnificent title filled with an authoritative sense, consists in dense cream flowers of fancy colors. In 20, xu zhen himself became an artistic brand promoted by this company. In 1997, conceptual artist xu zhen filmed himself smashing a dead cat repeatedly against a concrete floor. Xu bing was born in chongqing, china, in 1955 and grew up in beijing. January 14, 2017 professor xu xiao zhen zhen chao, jianwei xu, xu zhen under heaven, zhen symbol, lina xu, youyu xu, mei zhen, design zhen, takashi murakami art, su mei zhen, xu zhen entity, xu zhelan, xu rong, he zhen artist, 2017 zhen, chen zhen china, chen zhen artist, artist li zhen, qi zhen art, xu zhen eternity, xu zhen moca, xu chen yu, artist guo zhen, xiaoli xu, qu zhen, modern. From that time onwards, all pieces have been credited to xu zhen produced by madein company.
He first undertook behavioral and cultural experiments as an autonomous artist via controversial performances and videos. Set in a fantasied tang china, it is kays first work set outside of a fantasied european or mediterranean setting. Described as one of the more prolific and successful artists of chinas current generation, xu zhen born 1977 has become notable in the contemporary art world as much for his work as for his brand, madein company, which a museum employee summarized as one thats always pushing the. His 1998 videoshouting, in which the artist lets out pained shouts on crowded city streets. Despite qin des artifices, zhen xu was still able to find out many secrets of east vanquishing prince. Trained in a design school, he started working as an artist with an incredibly clear vision about his definition of art. Zhen xu was obviously very important to xiang guang. Tiroche deleon collection zhen madein company, xu est.
China series curated by the director of the ullens center for contemporary art, philip tinari. The sun hides behind a blanket of pollution and the air is stagnant. Jan 22, 2014 xu zhens artworks probe the various mediations that corrupt the viewers experience of an artwork, particularly in observing a culture that is not ones own. The artist xu zhen founded madein company in 2009 and introduces the company as follows. Whats more, and much like frosting, it turns out achieving the saccharinesweet aesthetic isnt nearly as easy as it looks. Under heaven is a fantasy novel by canadian author guy gavriel kay. Oct 08, 2016 xu zhen, under heaven 2808tr1601, oil on canvas, aluminum, 70 34 x 5 12 in. Apr 27, 2010 in under heaven, kay tells a story of honor and power, this time in a setting that evokes the dazzling tang dynasty of eighthcentury china. Xu zhen is a leading figure among the young generation of chinese artists. Xus works, made both individually and since 2009 through his collective practice madein company, have been frequently censored due their violent or erotic themes.
Art021 is the chinese fair you need to know artnet news. Xu s works, made both individually and since 2009 through his collective practice madein company, have been frequently censored due their violent or erotic themes. Guy gavriel kay is the international bestselling author of numerous fantasy novels including the fionavar tapestry trilogy, tigana, the last light of the sun, under heaven, river of stars, and children of earth and sky. It takes the form of a book made up of beautifully folded paper compartments layered upon each other which women of the miao and dong minorities used to store their embroidery threads the name zhen xian bao translates to needle thread pockets. Flirtatious pink, not revolutionary red, is xu zhens. Under heaven 2207fi12 lot 39, an imposing yet authentic piece by xu zhen, features a smorgasbord of visually overpowering and dazzlingly coloured cream rosettes, ranging from strawberry red, grape purple, pineapple yellow, viridian green, creamy white, to dark chocolate. Xu bing, book from the ground concept store, a special project by bank gallery. Read stellar transformations book 3 chapter 1 online for free.
Apr 01, 2020 xu zhen 1977 is a multimedia artist living and working in shanghai, china. I think this artwork will be perfect against the backdrop of the armory show because at a fair people move very quickly to browse and only look at the art for a second, xu told the times. Today, at the age of 40, the brand xu zhen resembles a youthful software tycoon. Having zhen xu, xiang guang could just sit back and relax.
1537 1175 1446 206 786 1508 402 105 362 1446 499 744 1562 359 240 87 595 1374 215 547 1445 1348 609 328 632 534 1057 724 301 1097 370 1385 158 1261 294 1473 709 252 601 372