Duration: October 25, 2013 - December 29, 2013

Organizer: 21 Space Art Museum

Opening: Oct 25, 2013, 19:30- 20:30

SHAPING——New Figurative Sculpture Exhibition to be held in 21 Space Art Museum on October 25, 2013 was Curated by Yang Xiaoyan and Hu Bin, display works of 17 artists from diverse areas in China including Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and HongKong.

Since realistic sculpture was introduced into China in the early 20th Century from the West, sculptors in China have made figurative sculptures of western style and established an educational system in this regard, which have been localized, with the characteristics of traditional Chinese art and sculpture taken into account. Over the years, realistic sculpture has played an important role in the academic art in China. On the other hand, contemporary Chinese Sculpture has changed dramatically in terms of materials, way of expression and thinking, thanks to the influence of international artistic trends. Great changes have taken place in sculpture language and breakthroughs in existing forms of realistic sculpture have resulted in the constant extension of both connotation and denotation of sculptures. Traditional sculptures, as the image of three-dimensional shaping, have been applied to such fields as space in theaters, experiments of ready-mades and even social concepts and action, which has made us puzzled over the definition of sculpture.

Against the backdrop of changing boundary and definition in this era, we try to return to the shaping function of sculptures in order to probe into the latest development of figurative sculpture. The main theme of this Exhibition is “shaping”, with the emphasis on specific figures. In fact, a large number of sculptors insist on shaping specific figures. Nonetheless, due to the changes of visual environment and social perception, the so-called figurative sculpture has been diversified, which is distinct from the past in motif, perspective, texture, configuration, spatial relations and perception.

In addition, from the angle of social culture, sculptors aim to shape the society and their inner world, and their reflection of such an aim through “shaping”. From natural objects to human society, our impression and perceptions all stem from the shaping of utterance, while images are an important link of this shaping process. How can the sculptors help us to shape our new outlook on the world by dispelling our misconceptions with their artistic language are another significance of “shaping”.

In that sense, all artists whose works are on display in this Exhibition have made figurative sculptures, in spite of their differences in means of carving or structuring, and in execution procedures and materials. With their unique figurative language, they have presented their way of thinking clearly. Their works, ranging from renovation of natural objects and daily necessities to the reflection of social landscape, from human anatomy to deconstruction of cluster images, from utilization of tradition to the expansion of contemporary perceptions, will bring unusual and impressive experience to the visitors, both visually and mentally. They have also effectively responded to our discussion on the theme of “shaping”.