Xiang Jing (artist)

Xiang Jing, 2015 (photography: Fan Xi)
Xiang Jing, 2015 (photography: Fan Xi)

Xiang Jing (born 1968, Beijing, China) is an artist based in Beijing mostly working in sculpture. Xiang Jing graduated from the Department of Sculpture of China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA, 中央美术学院) in Beijing. She was instantly successful in her field. Her graduating works won first prize in the "Graduation Show of Central Academy of Fine Arts 1995" and she also won the Okamatsu Family Fund. These sculptures that won these prizes were collected by the school because of the beauty and interest that were shown in them. After graduation, she continued to sculpt women and a few other objects. She taught at Shanghai Normal University from 1997 to 2009.[1]

She is widely known for her sculpting and is recognized by getting invitations to display her sculptures all over the world. Xiang Jing is one of the few successful sculptors or painters who excels at creating a woman's body which depicts the body realistically and all its imperfection. Each sculpture seems to have a unique trait that tells a story of a certain aspect of life. Her sculpting has evolved since her original works at the Central Academy of Fine Arts to a unique style that is unmatched by any other artist.

Her work can be divided into "Mirror Image" (1999–2002), "Keep in Silence" (2003–2005), and "Naked Beyond Skin" (2006–2008) series. She moved back to her hometown Beijing in 2009. Most of her sculptures are based on women whose shows the imperfect nature and realness of women. She does not make her sculptures perfect; instead, she gives them flaws that are common in women. These flaws often include a flabby waistline, a lack of expression on the face, and often an off shaped body. Xiang Jing seems to convey the humility or emptiness of the everyday woman on the surface. The artist is truly interested in the "psychological truth" of human beings and seeks the existential truth of human life.[1] Her latest series of works "Will Things Ever Get Better?" (2009–2011)[2] is composed of the "animals" and the "acrobats", which reflects on the predicament of our human condition.

Xiang Jing Studio website: www.xiangjingart.com

Works

Xiang Jing is considered highly satirical and there are questions that are raised surrounding the plight of the post-feminist movement of women. She shows the emotions and expresses the mindset of women which causes her work to shift from personal to political. Xiang Jing matches the outward appearance of the sculpture with inner philosophy and emotions of the same image. She is a well-rounded sculptor whose works include: some animal figures, clothed women, and naked women. The sculptures are made from different things; some of them are cast in bronze or polyurethane while others are painted fiberglass. As an artist, she seems to keep most of her focus on women and how she portrays them in her work. She captures the current trends, some popular activities that contemporary women indulge in (clubbing, shopping, etc.). Xiang Jing hardly ever uses synthetic materials in her works. She uses some props such as cigarettes. She is phenomenal at expressing the emotions of the women she sculpts. Depending on the work, most of the women seem to have the emotion of depression. In some of them, there seems to be a sense of reflection or vulnerability. These sculptures have an eerie glow about them that conveys the emotion of anger or sadness. Happiness does not seem to be a theme in any of her creations.

Your Body (2005)

Your Body (2005, fiberglass & paint, 270×160×150cm) at The Saatchi Gallery, The Revolution Continues: New Art from China, 2008
Your Body (2005, fiberglass & paint, 270×160×150cm) at The Saatchi Gallery, The Revolution Continues: New Art from China, 2008

In one of her most famous works, Your Body, Xiang Jing made a huge naked women slumping in a large wooden chair. The women is sculpted and painted with porcelain. This is a prime example of the type of works Xiang Jing creates. The naked woman seems to have silky smooth skin which makes it look like plastic. This is done on purpose by Xiang Jing to show the material feel of women in the contemporary world. The face of the woman has a sort of blank look to it which makes it very interesting to look at. When looking into the eyes of the sculpture, the observer cannot help but feel the emotions they would see in a living human being. She seems slightly depressed while in a deep reflection. Her reflection leaves her in a place of humility and emptiness while the vulnerability of herself is shown through her nudity and posture. The body of the woman is imperfect. She has a flabby body and there is no clear beauty she has about her. Her face is intriguing but it does not have the "normal" aspects of beauty. The whole body seems real. She is just a normal woman with her own problems which she is contemplating. The slacking position gives a feel of comfort. She seems comfortable for where she is at but depressed on where her life is going. Xiang Jing presents the woman's body naked because it instantly grabs the attention of the viewers. It is slightly controversial which makes it a topic for discussion. After the audience gets past the nakedness, they will look closer and see the features that tell the rest of the meaning behind the work.

Bang! (2002)

Bang!, 2002, fiberglass & paint, 162×160×110cm, Xiang Jing
Bang!, 2002, fiberglass & paint, 162×160×110cm, Xiang Jing

This is one of the more interesting Works of Xiang Jing. It shows two women in modern clothing, one of which is cowering in fear while the other is smiling. The woman that is smiling has her hand shaped as a gun and it pointing it directly towards the head of the other woman. The woman that is in fear does not seem to realize the feeling on her head is just the finger of the other woman. She truly believes she is about to die. After looking closely, her eyes are shut and it feels like she is letting out a terrified scream. The other woman seems to be taking joy in this action. This is a good example of how Xiang Jing shows a sense of violence through her work. The woman is taking pleasure in the fear and fear of the other woman. The woman who is in fear is vulnerable because of her fear of death. The women are in modern clothes, Xiang Jing is trying to show that some women live in this sort of fear in the modern day. She is showing that there are two different types of women; the ones who fear and those who are feared. She could also be playing on the violence of society causing people to live in fear or society causing the violence. This is another sculpture painted in porcelain. It is very realistic. Unlike Your Body, the women are in shape but they seem real still. Xiang Jing creates lifelike sculpture to portray a stronger message to the audience.

Are A Hundred Playing You? Or Only One? (2007)

This work is a good example of a work by Xiang Jing. The figures in this work are very realistic. They could easily be mistaken as real women if they were viewed from a distance, but once the viewer gets closer to the work, they can tell that they are just sculptures. This work shows mystery behind the work of Xiang Jing. The viewers can not understand what is trying to be conveyed to them through the women. The women clearly have something wrong but it is not clear what it is. Their eyes seem like they are in depression or some sort of discomfort. It is up to the viewer to decide what is wrong and what the women are doing to try to fix it. In all of Xiang Jing's works, there is a sense of mystery behind the women. She conveys different emotions with their eyes but it is the individual viewer to imagine what experiences the woman has gone through and what she is feeling.

Quotes

Directly from Xiang Jing

"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." — Xiang Jing x Zhu Zhu[3]
"I did And You? after I did Your Body. I wanted to transcend something in Your Body; I succeeded or not, different people might have different ideas. But for me, it meant a huge difference. It's often the case – even in our daily life – the sort of expression you look for can't be voice out, but if we gather strength and voice it out, it's a progress. When you voice it out, the you've also jumped over the obstacle. "Your Body" came really out of my instinct and nature; I accumulated knowledge and experience to that extent and produced such a work with so much effort, but I have always wanted to transcend it." ... Your Body actually started my first person narration approach. When I was creating that piece, my life was very isolated indeed, and that instinct just burst out suddenly. I strongly wish my first person narration approach could get more established. In this new exhibition I get ready to produce a group of purer works of female bodies. Moreover, I indeed want to transcend it; when I jump over that obstacle, I will feel quite relieved. — Xiang Jing x Huang Zhuan[4]

About Xiang Jing

"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." — Karen Smith[5]
After going through numerous births and miscarriages, Xiang Jing intends to conclude the stage of her work that concerns the "female body." To engage in critiquing her work is like travelling to a nation of women that is about to declare independence. The scaffolding has yet to be removed, but a mood of festive observance is in the air.
For an artist to conclude a stage in her creative work usually means that her passion and energy toward the theme has found release, and she realizes that to continue would lead to nothing but self-replication of a certain few pieces. A better reason might be that her iconic pieces had already been produced, and the artist's desire for expression had been gratified. If she ever resumes this theme sometime in the future, it would mean that broader understanding and experience will have shown her new possibilities of self-overcoming. Xiang Jing's present achievements in sculpture give ample proof of her singular strength within a certain thematic range. The works that best represent the level she has reached are Your Body (2005) and Are A Hundred Playing You? Or Only One? (2007). — Zhu Zhu[6]

Although her sculptures are strikingly lifelike, Xiang says she isn't aiming for realism. "If you put a real person's face next to it, you will see a lot of differences. But what matters to me is ... the poignance of the expression." "I want my art to awaken the sensibility of each onlooker, to awaken his body, so that his body can experience the sculpture. That's why I really want people to stand right in front of my sculpture, to face (it)."[7]

Public collection

Solo exhibitions

2015

2013

2012

2011

2008

2007

2006

2005

2003

2002

2001

Select group exhibitions

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1995

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.xiangjingart.com/en/index.php?m=list&a=index&id=47
  2. ↑ http://www.xiangjingart.com/en/index.php?g=portal&m=list&a=index&id=6
  3. ↑ "Female Self-Presence | Today". Winter 2010. pp. 287–300.
  4. ↑ "Huang Zhuan x Xiang Jing: The Transcended Body | Naked Beyond Skin – Xiang Jing 2006–2007, Beijing". Tang Contemporary Art (Beijing). 2008. pp. 159–183.
  5. ↑ Karen Smith: Say It Loud | Naked Beyond Skin – Xiang Jing's Works 2006-2007, Beijing | Tang Contemporary Art (Beijing) | 2008 | p. 110–116
  6. ↑ Zhu Zhu, Within a Magic Spell | Naked Beyond Skin – Xiang Jing's Works 2006-2007, Beijing | Tang Contemporary Art (Beijing) | 2008 | p. 20–35
  7. ↑ "Chinese Sculptor's Painful Search for Truth". CNN. November 2012.
  8. ↑ "Juergen Teller & Xiang Jing". Lehmann Maupin Gallery. May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Xiang Jing- Contemporary Artists", The Saatchi Gallery - London Contemporary Art Gallery; 2008
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