Xiang Jing
Xiang Jing (b.1968 Beijing) is an artist based in China as a leading sculptor. Her fiberglass images depict mostly women, holding cigarettes and posing half naked, often with sour faces and flabby waistlines. Her images seem to concentrate on the woman's figure, and few of her sculptures show beautiful women with perfect shapes, which are more natural, real and imperfect. In recent years Xiang Jing's works had huge influence both home and abroad which have accordingly raised discussions and criticisms. Disputes exist when it comes to the acknowledgement and positioning of her artistic creation, which also provides us a chance to look into some aspects of contemporary art.
Xiang Jing's at Work，Photo by X+Q Studio
Each female artist possesses sensitivity, particularly with regard to gender or issues. Before making this batch of sculptures, I reflected on why I have always avoided a feminist stance, though in truth I confront gender roles. What, after all, is my instinctive fundamental stance? Without any hesitation I know my own stance, just as I look at this world with a woman’s eyes, as a matter of my intrinsic nature. This is not simply a question of gender politics. Given this undeniable precondition, I will definitely speak from my feminine identity. I use the female body first of all to remind people that I am a woman. In this world I live in, a naked figure commands more attention, after all, than one wearing clothes. So I use a woman’s body to state who I am, to speak of how a woman thinks and looks at things. This is the foundation on which I create these pieces. I am no longer those women in art history who were always being looked at. Given this approach to creating female figures, I do not feel they are a hackneyed subject. I like to say that my mode of expression is “in the first person.”
An excerpt from "Female Self-Presence"-
An Interview between Xiang Jing and Zhu Zhu
Time：Dec.2010—Jan.2011
Xiang Jing is an unusually independently-minded young Chinese woman. Her personality is a blend of bohemian free spirit and down-to-earth common sense, underscored by a feisty mental attitude towards life and art. Life saw fit to place this personality in a delicate physical frame, and set behind a pair of large round eyes, the innocence of which belies this woman’s talent for penetrating insight. Where, to date, Xiang Jing’s art has focused on the female form, the woman’s body has evolved as a conduit for her observations on the state of women in contemporary China: observations that, in early 2008, she decided to draw together in one exhibition, and to act as a denouement for this phase of her career. Having reached a certain maturity, Xiang Jing feels it is time to move onto something new.
An excerpt from "Xiang Jing – Say It Loud" by Karen Smith
Xiang Jing's at Her Studio
Biography
Born in Beijing in 1968
Currently living and working in Beijing
Education
1984-1988
Graduated from the High School of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing;
1990-1995
Graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing;
Xiang Jing's preparation for the exhibition in Shanghai in 2007
Solo Exhibitions
2011
- “I Have Seen Happiness”, Park Hyatt Beijing, Beijing
2008
- “Naked Beyond skin - An Asia Touring project of sculptural imageries by Xiang Jing”, Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong-Bangkok-Beijing
2007
- “Are a Hundred Playing You? Or Just One?”, Eslite Gallery, Taipei, China
2006
- “Your Body – Xiang Jing 2000 - 2005”, Shanghai Art museum, Shanghai, China
2005
- “Keep in Silence”, China Art Seasons Gallery, Beijing, China
2003
- “Women in the Mirror”, Chinese European Art Center, Xiamen, China
- “Art of Xiang Jing”, Mead Art (Tuan Cheng) Gallery, Beijing, China
2001
- “Day Dream – Solo Exhibition”, IVY bookstore, Shanghai, China
Xiang Jing's Recent Creations 02
Group Exhibitions
2011
- “Future Pass — From Asia To The World”, Venice Biennale, Abbazia di San Gregorio, Venice
- “The Identity of the Absence”, Fujian Provincial Museum, Fuzhou
- “GuanXi”, Contemporary Chinese Art, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou
- “Love and hope”, Iberia Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing
- “Unable Absence — Winshare contemporary art display”, Winshare Museum, Chengdu
- “The WAY Is Not Merely Between Two Points”, Lin & Lin Gallery, Taipei
- “Made In China”, Beyond Art Space, Beijing
- “Rabbits In Art”, Jinqiao International Commercial Plaza, Shanghai
2010
- “Self – Portrait”, Museum of CAFA, Beijing
- “Absolute Distance”, Blank Space + MK2 Gallery, Beijing
- “Heritage Pass On”, Longmen Art Projects, Shanghai
- “Six + Six Energy Pass On”, Gallery Yang, Beijing
- “Reshaping History — China Art from 2000 to 2009”, China National Convention Center, Beijing, China
- “What is Art”, Times Art Museum, Beijing, China.
- “Mind > Touch”, Times Art Museum, Beijing, China.
- “It’s Not Sculpture”, Linda Gallery, Beijing, China
2009
- “Animamix Biennial”, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
- “Translucence — Female Contemporary Art from China”, National Art Museum of China&Contemporary Art of European Center, Brussels, Belgium
- “Collision – Experimental Cases of Contemporary Chinese Art”, Museum of CAFA, Beijing , China.
- “Report to Motherland — 60 Years of Chinese Fine Arts”, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China.
- “Thinking>Hand-making”, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
- “AIDS•ART•LIFE-19 Games”, UNDP/UMAIDS/UNESCO/UNICEF/Marie Stopes Fundation/ Zeshan Fundation, Beijing, China
- “Light Reflection”, West Lake Art Museum, Hangzhou / The Wall Art Museum, Beijing, China
- “Body”, Center of Contemporary art Shangdong Nanjing, Nanjing, China
- “The Tale of Angels”, the Red Mansion Foundation, London, England
2008
- “Couples in Contemporary Art”, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, Shanghai, China
- “The Revolution Continues – New Chinese Art”, The Saatchi Gallery, London, England
- “People . China”, the Museum of CAFA, Beijing
- “Case Studies of Artists in Art History And Art Criticism”, SZ Art Center of Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, China
- “The World of Others”, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, Shanghai, China
- “Artificial Nature @ Art Lab”, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, Shanghai, China
- “The First Annual Moon River Sculpture Festival – The Origin”, Moon River Museum of Contemporary Art, Beijing
- “Happy Together”, Aura Gallery, Beijing, China
- “Deep Breath: Chinese Contemporary Female Art Exhibition”, Creek Art, Shanghai
2007
- “China – Facing Reality”, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, Austria.
- “Premonition……”, J&Z Gallery, Shenzhen, China.
- “Post Avant-Garde Chinese Contemporary Art”, Atting Gallery ,Hong Kong, China.
- “The First Today’s Documents 2007”-- Energy: Spirit•Body•Material, Beijing Today Art Museum, Beijing, China.
- “Calling a Stag a Horse—Sculptures by Guangci, Xiang Jing, Chen Wenling and Cao Hui”, San Shang Art, Beijing, China.
- “She&I”, China Square, New York, USA.
- “China Now”, the Cobra Museum of Modern Art Amstelveen, Netherlands.
- “The 10th Edition of OPEN- the International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations”, Venice Lido, Italy.
- “Ge An Guan Huo”, Evangelische Studierendengemeinde (Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Haus), Kassel, Germany.
- “What’s Next?-Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition”, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong, China.
- “Drift-2007 Huadong District’s invited Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition”, Art Space of Fine Arts college of Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
- “Art Lan Asia”, ZAIM Yokohama, Japan.
- “Top 10 Chinese Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition”, Asia Art Center, Beijing, China.
- “Tanah Air: Seni Patung dan Lingkungan”, Pakuwon City Complex – Surabaya, Indonesia.
2006
- “Women in A Society of Double-sexuality”, Tang Contemporary Art Center, Bangkok, Thailand.
- “Soliloquy – China-Indonesia Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition”, Indonesian National Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia.
- “Floweriness”, Songzhuang Art Museum, Beijing, China.
- “Art in Motion”, MoCA Shanghai, China.
- “China Now”, ESSL Collection of contemporary Art, Vienna, Austria.
- “Entry Gate: Chinese Aesthetics of Heterogeneity”, MoCA Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
- “Jiang Hu”, Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, USA.
2005
- “Extravagant Age: Sculpture Prognostication - Chinese Contemporary Outdoors Sculpture Art Exhibition”, Hai Yi Chang Zhou Storied Building, Tian Jin, China.
- “Sculpture a Century”, Shanghai Sculpture Space, Shanghai, China.
- “In the Deep of Reality: A Case of Chinese Contemporary Art”, Liu He Underground Carbarn, Hangzhou, China.
- “Multiple Definition/Imaginary Community Contemporary Art Exhibition”, the compound center of WanKe crystal City, Tianjin, China.
2004
- “Dreams of the Dragon’s Nation - Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition”, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland.
- “MMAC Art College Performance Festival 2004”, Aizu-Mishima / Tokyo, Japan.
- “Witness - Sculptures by Xiang Jing and Guangci”, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China.
- “Take a Walk” series show, Doland Art museum, Shanghai, China.
- “China • Imagination: Chinese Contemporary Sculptural Art Exhibition”, Jardin de Tuileries, Paris, France.
2003
- “New Zone - Chinese Art”, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warzaw, Poland.
- “Sculptures by Xiang Jing and Guangci”, Casas-Museu da Taipa, Macau, China.
- “XII Inner Spaces” Multimedia Festival, CCA Inner Spaces, Poznan, Poland.
- “Different Choices - Born in the 60s”, Peninsula Gallery, Shanghai, China.
- “The Third Shanghai Young Sculptors Invitation Exhibition”, Century Plaza, Nanjing Road, Shanghai, China.
- “Exoteric Era - The 50th Anniversary of Chinese National Art Gallery “, Chinese National Art Gallery, Beijing, China.
2002
- “Xiang Jing•Guangci 2002 - Mirror Image”, Invisible Gallery, Shanghai, China.
2001
- “The Standards of Chinese Contemporary Sculptures”, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China.
- “The Patter of Pearls on Jade Plate - Sculptures Invitation Show”, Invisible Gallery, Shanghai, China.
- “Chinese Myths - Contemporary Art Exhibition”, Yidian Gallery, Shanghai, China.
- “The First Jingwen Art Exhibition”, Jingwen Art Centrality, Shanghai, China.
- “2001 Salon d'Automne”, Espace Auteuil, Paris, France.
- “The 32nd Grosse Kunst Ausstellung Dusseldorf”, Eingang Nord, Dusseldorf, Germany.
- “Framed Samples - The 1st Chengdu Art Biennale”, Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum, Chengdu, China.
2000
- “Chinese Contemporary Sculptures Invitation Exhibition”, Tsingtao Sculptural Art Gallery, Tsingtao, China.
- “Shanghai Youth Art Exhibition”, Liu-Haisu Art Gallery, Shanghai, China.
- “Youth Sculptor Invitation Exhibition”, co-organized by the West Lake Art Gallery, Shengzhen College of Sculpture and Tsingtao Sculpture Gallery, China.
- “Sea Level - Paintings & Sculptures Invitation Exhibition 2000”, Liu-Haisu Art Museum, Shanghai, China.
- “Conversations with Henry Moore - Sculpture Invitation Exhibition” in Guangdong Art Gallery, Guangzhou, China.
1999
- “Journey to the End of Century – The 2nd Exhibition”, New Space-ART Express, Beijing, China.
- “The Ninth National Art Exhibition”, National Art Gallery, Beijing, China.
- “Chinese Sculptures Annual Exhibition”, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China.
- “Oil Paintings & Sculptures by Teachers from the Fine Art college, Shanghai Normal University”, Gallery of Fine Art college, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
- “The Century Gate - Invitation Exhibition of Chinese Art from 1979 - 1999”, Chengdu Modern Art Gallery, Chengdu, China.
1998
- “Century •Female”, Chinese National Art Gallery, Beijing, China.
- “Connotation”, Pearl Gallery, Beijing, China.
- “October Exhibition for Beijing Youth Sculptors”, Gallery of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China.
- “Contemporary Sculptural Art Annual Exhibition”, He Xiangning Art Gallery, Shenzhen, China.
- “Chinese Artists Exhibition”, Zurichsee-Auktionen Gallery, Switzerland.
- “Platform for Both Genders”, Taida Contemporary Art Museum, Tianjin, China.
1995
- “The Four-Girl Show in March”, Modern Art Gallery, Beijing, China.
- “Graduate Show of Central Academy of Fine Arts 1995”; gallery of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China.
- “The Oka-matsu Family Fund”, Japan. first prize rewarded.
- “Chinese Women Artists Invitation Exhibition”, Chinese National Art Gallery, Beijing, China.
Xiang Jing's Recent Creations 01
Public Collection:
Shanghai EXPO
Shanghai Art Museum
The Saatchi Gallery
Central Academy of Fine Arts Sculpture “Your Body” was collected by Saatchi Gallery, etc.
