MCLC: Sculptor Xiang Jiang

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Sculptor Xiang Jiang
Source: Global Times (12/25/16)
‘Feministy’ Chinese sculptor Xiang Jing talks about retirement, nudity and her art
By Huang Tingting
"Few female Chinese artists have attained the level of international recognition that sculptor Xiang Jing enjoys," writes a 2012 CNN interview with the sculptor.
The 48-year-old artist, still one of China's best-known artists in the West, told the Global Times in an interview on December 16 that she still feels uncomfortable being referred to as a "female" sculptor.
"It's like falling into an independent category," she said.
It was a cold morning when I met up with Xiang for the first time in her studio located in a bleak eastern suburb of Beijing. She was busy making hot tea when I arrived and looked relaxed and content as the steam rose around her.
After her latest retrospective exhibition Upon This Anguish I Repose (1995-2011) + New Work S (2012-2016) held this November in Beijing, a number of media outlets reported that the artist said she plans to retire. Xiang laughed at the mention of this.
"Well, that was me whining like a child," she joked, then put on a serious face.
"But yes, I do feel tired and for a time did plan to leave."
A number of her works from the past decade, both finished and unfinished, stood dozens of meters away from where we talked, including the famous 2.7-meter-high Your Body (2005) and the 3.6-meter-high The Open (2006) - two statues of nude bald women sitting with their legs spread wide open, their big painted eyes staring down quietly at passersby.
Trapped by labels
Apart from the two giant nudes, other works of smaller size, such as those featuring lively young girls in the Keep In Silence(2003-2005) collection and gloomy hollow-eyed bald women in the Naked Beyond The Skin (2006-2008) collection, have also been recognized by critics as "reflections of the bodies of Chinese women," while keywords such as "feminism," "body" and "nude" are often attached to the artist's name.
"I used to resent people asking me about that [feminist aspect of my work] all the time," Xiang said, admitting she was once annoyed by such labels.
"I was like, 'why do you guys all focus on this one aspect?'"
"But now, I think it's fine, for they're also sort of recognizing my works - if people keep saying that, I guess to them, my works did successfully render something that many Chinese women confront."
"When I was creating Your Body, I was actually planning to create a cultural perspective," Xiang said, explaining she isn't trying to take sides with her art.
Many viewers see the artist's displays of female nudity and their private parts in public inappropriate or even erotic.
According to Xiang, such skewed impressions of her art most likely stem from certain social stereotypes that people are raised to believe. In other words, people are "encoded by culture," and her aim is to "decode" or "restore things to the way they originally were."
She had explained in previous interviews that the human body is nothing more than a medium for her art and that what she wanted to convey through these female nudes are actually "universal" - something both men and women experience and can sympathize with, such as wondering about life and the search for meaning.
And as for her choice of subject in her earlier works, "for me it was more of an intuitive choice, simply because Chinese women are what I am familiar with."
Images of animals are also seen in her later works, such as the horse looking back over its shoulder in the Will Things Ever Get Better? (2009-2011) series and the twisted scarlet snake in her latest S (2012-2016) series.
"They are also reflections of human beings," Xiang said. "When I am creating animals, I am dealing with human issues."
Going her own way
Graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1995, Xiang didn't rise to fame until 2002 after her first solo exhibitionMirror Images (1999-2002). During the 1990s, when the Chinese art market was experiencing a boom and artists were busily creating works for their shows, Xiang chose to work in her studio to create something she wanted, rather than pushing herself to meet artificial deadlines for exhibitions.
"You won't find my name on the lists of any big shows or artist movements from that time, and I belonged to no specific group," she explained. "I was an isolated artist interested in my own works back then."
Looking back on her career over the past two decades, Xiang said she feels that she made the right choice for herself back then as it ensured her works followed "a very clear path of individual improvement."
It seems her decision to remain low-profile during the 1990s has paid off. Xiang is currently a favorite within the art market. Her Are a Hundred Playing You? Or Only One? (2007) sold at 6.27 million yuan ($0.9 million) in 2010, setting a new record for a sculptor in the Chinese mainland.
Channels of expression
People, even non-critics, most likely enjoy talking about Xiang's works because, unlike abstract art, they feature recognizable figures and are therefore easier to appreciate or interpret.
However, Xiang pointed out that sometimes, professional interpretations within certain systems may not always be correct.
"One who appreciates my art with their intuition and based on their experiences will understand them better," she said.
Concerning the underlying meanings in her works, she admitted that even she can't put it in words. In fact, the more recent a work, the more difficult it has been for her to express what she is saying in her work in words. At the end of the day though this is perfectly fine for her as she prefers her sculptures to speak for themselves.
by denton.2 at osu.edu on December 29, 2016
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