on Wang Xingwei

Minji Kim
18 November 2010

"Wang Xingwei reminds me of those master workers in the old factories
from times gone by, who were able to create something new by
assembling pieces coming from different old machines, just depending
on the function they wanted the newly made tool to have;" this is how
Xie Nanxing, a painter, expresses the unique style of Wang Xingwei. As
Nanxing states, Wang Xingwei is such a multifaceted artist. In his
paintings, Wang keeps changing and developing his styles and as a
result, his works display more diversity than those of other artists.
When looking at his works, they all seem to be done by different
artists since Wang shifts from one style to another as he produces
another work. An interesting fact about his paintings is that the same
man and woman change their identities to surreal golfers, sailors,
hostesses, and nurses, and the reshaping of the identities of
characters produce different moods: sexual, erotic, violent, or
landscape-like, for instance. Wang's works do never conform to one
specific style but create a distinct, unique atmosphere in each one of
them. Some of his pictures are very realistic while some others remain
almost cartoon like. Wang is also known for his inspirations from
cultural and historical references and for his great ability to mix
them together and integrate his new ideas into the combination. What I
found the most interesting in Wang's works was that a number of them
consisted of a "nurse" character. In Nurse and hostess in a raff
(2005), Two nurses (2005), Nurse Playing Badminton (2006), Computer
Nurse (2006), Wang displays a series of a nurse. They all seem to have
a link to each other and I want to explore more of his other works to
find out the behind stories of them.

*sources:
-http://new.artzinechina.com/display_vol_aid334_en.html
-(GALERIE URS MEILE)
http://www.kunstaspekte.de/index.php?tid=30290&action=termin

Liu Jianhua is a very famous ceramic sculptor and installation artist.
Based on his experience in porcelain factories in Jiangxi province,
Liu works for "his interpretations of China's emergence as the factory
floor of the world," and his works often include assembly lines, piles
of electronic waste, and broken porcelain figures. Liu collects the
garbage left over from international trades, such as crates, boxes and
trucks, and creates installations representing China's modernization.
Liu also uses clothing materials to reflect on China's positions in
the global stage. In the series of cheongsamed women, Games (2000),
Obsessive Memories (2000), Plate Scene (2001), and If You Need, Please
Choose (2001), Liu criticizes sexual discrimination against females.
The female sculptures lack arms and heads in many works and those
represent how women are being objectified and disrespected by men in
our society in general. I really like his way of criticizing female
objectification and questioning people's way of treating femininity,
since it gives a strong alert to viewers. Liu is an artist extending
his questions toward politics, the society, and the issues of
individual existence, and producing an analysis of "everyday life."

*sources:
-http://www.artzinechina.com/display_vol_aid517_en.html
-http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?1487