Shi Xinning (石心宁; born 1969, in

Liaoning Province ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

) is a painter based in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. Influenced by both

social realism Social realism is work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers, filmmakers and some musicians that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an styles, he specialises in historical paintings that insert

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

into iconic social and political photos of the 20th century - such as the

Yalta Conference The Yalta Conference (), held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. The three sta ...

, the

HUAC The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty an ...

hearings, and a state procession of the British

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also ...

. He has shown work internationally in many exhibitions including ''Mahjong'' at the Kunstmuseum in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, ''China Art Now'' at the Marella Gallery in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, ''China Contemporary Painting'' at

Fondazione Carisbo Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna (Fondazione Carisbo) is a philanthropic organization formed in 1991 by the separating of the bank into a private limited company and a banking foundation. The headquarter of the foundation was right opposit ...

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, and ''Landscapes'' at the Shanghai Gallery of Art. He is represented by the Marella Gallery in Beijing and

, Shine Art Space in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, and b
ARNDT
in Berlin.

Life and work

Shi Xinning was born in 1969, in

to his parents who were

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

members. Xinning received a formal education in art at the

Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, or LAFA, is an art school in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. History The school was founded in 1938 as Luxun Academy of Arts by Chinese Communist Party leaders, including Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, in the town of ...

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

. Xinning graduated in 1990 and continued to develop his art career for 10 years before producing his Mao paintings, which are some of his most famous. Shi Xinning's works often contain subject matter related to the

Chinese Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, which he experienced as a child. Some of his notable paintings are his paintings featuring

with people, places, or events which are entirely impossible to have occurred. Shi Xinning's work appears to deal with issues of history,

cultural memory Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these gro ...

, Western

Eurocentrism Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism) refers to viewing Western world, the West as the center of world events or superior to other cultures. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western world to just the con ...

, and Chinese

Isolationism Isolationism is a term used to refer to a political philosophy advocating a foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality an ...

. One of Xinning's first Mao paintings was his painting "Duchamp Retrospective Exhibition", which portrays Mao inspecting Marcel Duchamp's famous urinal sculpture entitled "

Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

". This work injects humor through the fact that Duchamp's

Dadaist Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

expression and

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

art would not be permitted in China under Mao's rule, as official art in China at the time was confined to propaganda. This is also humorous because without Duchamp's "R. Mutt" signature on the urinal, Mao could just as well be inspecting a factory-made urinal for its usefulness in aiding China. Due to the unexpected subject matter of Xinning's Mao paintings, Mao Zedong's presence often seems absurd or ironic. Mao Zedong can be seen beside celebrities

Sofia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...

and

Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, ''Playboy'' Playmate, and sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was known for her numerous publicity stunts and open personal life. He ...

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

Peggy Guggenheim Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim ( ; August 26, 1898 – December 23, 1979) was an American art collector, bohemianism, bohemian, and socialite. Born to the wealthy New York City Guggenheim family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who we ...

, and even

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

. Not only is Mao represented next to notable western cultural figures and celebrities in these paintings, but he is also found attending historic events with western politicians and leaders. In Xinnings "Mao and McCarthy", for example, Mao can be seen attending the

hearings, though he is not being questioned but is rather an observer. The irony of the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

chairman Mao being a welcome observer of the hearing injects humor into the situation and establishes Shi Xinning's works as re-authorings of collective cultural memory. Shi Xinning´s work appears in the "China Art Book", The 80 most renowned Chinese Artists, DUMONT When referring to the purpose or meaning behind his inclusion of

in his paintings, Xinning cited influences from his early life in China during the

. Xinning said regarding his work: "These are Shi Xinning's black-and-white visions of the way Mao's China could have been if China hadn't isolated itself from the capitalist West." Despite the

anachronism An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...

present in Xinning's work, the use of Mao's image in his paintings serves to also ground his work in modern China and its surrounding culture. According to Xinning, "today Mao is still an icon in China. He is omnipresent; he defined my childhood and the lives of my parents. I never show him the real context of the 1960s or 1970s. I present him as a visual memory." Xinning has said, however, that he has little interest in Mao as a person, and instead is interested in Mao as an icon. Xinning's artwork has seen commercial success in the art market, where his work "Mao and McCarthy" was valued in 2007 to be worth between 50,000 and 70,000 USD at auction. Shi Xinning's "Yalta" painting was valued in 2008 to be worth between 98,020 and 137,227 USD at auction.

Visual style and themes

Xinning relies heavily on the usage of icons and visual themes from the

, particularly the likeness of

. Xinning's art deals with impossibility and

, as Xinning introduces Mao into impossible situations. Xinning never paints Mao in a more accurate or relevant time period or location, as Xinning entirely avoids painting Mao in the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of Xinning's work is done in black and white, and color works usually use sepia tones. This color scheme choice by Xinning, along with his reproduction of famous press photographs from history, helps establish his "photographic" or "newspaper" style. Xinning himself confirms this interpretation of his style, as he often compares his work with that of a film director. Xinning portrays his scenes with a high level of detail, which gives his pictures a

photorealistic Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can b ...

appearance. Xinning also uses very subtle brushwork, which helps support his illusion that his paintings are historical photos.

Exhibitions

The following is a list of notable exhibitions Shi Xinning has participated in. * 2005 - The Road Map of Painting,

* 2005 - The Other Shore of This Shore,

Pingyao Pingyao, officially Pingyao Ancient City, is a walled city in central Shanxi, China, famed for its importance in Chinese economic history and for its well-preserved Ming and Qing urban planning and architecture. Administratively, it comprise ...

* 2005 - Ma Jiang, Exhibition of Mr. Uli Sigg Collection

Berne, Switzerland Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

* 2005 - China Contemporary Painting, Marella Arte Contemporanea

Bologna, Italy Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

* 2004 - Land_Scapes, Shanghai Gallery of Art * 2004 - New Perspectives in Chinese Painting, Marella Arte Contemporanea * 2004 - China's Photographic Painting, China Art Seasons,

798 Art Zone 798 Art Zone (), or Dashanzi Art District, is a complex of 50-year-old decommissioned People's Liberation Army, military factory buildings boasting a unique architectural style that houses a thriving artistic community in Dashanzi, Chaoyang Di ...

* 2003 - Moyemode Moyemobude,

* 2003 - China Art Now Marella Arte Contemporanea,

Milan, Italy Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

* 2002 - Contemporary Art Exhibition, Deduct Fabricate Copy,

* 2001 - Fake Reality,

(solo) * 1999 - Contemporary Art Show "Out-of-control",

* 1998 - Contemporary Art Exhibition, "In the City- Individuality",

* 1994 - Northeast China Contemporary Art Exhibition,

* 1993 - China Biannual Oil Painting Exhibition,

References

External links

Shi Xinning
88-Mocca: The Museum of Chinese Contemporary Art on the Web
Shi Xinning at ARNDT BerlinShi Xinning at Marella Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shi, Xinning Painters from Liaoning Chinese contemporary artists Living people 1969 births People from Yingkou