Xu Zhen is a conceptual artist whose work often takes the form of provocative sculptures, installations and interventions that confront sociopolitical taboos in contemporary China and freely manipulate western expectations of Chinese art and commerce. In addition to sculpture, his body of work encompasses various mediums such as photography, installation, video, painting and performance. The “body” is a recurring symbol in his work which he uses to challenge authority as well as reflect the experience of the artist and the social-political situation in China. Interested in how cultural and financial value circulates around the world, Xu Zhen combines elements from many cultures, examining the effects of globalization, often to humorous or unsettling effect.
In 2009 Xu Zhen subsumed his individual artistic identity and transformed into MadeIn – an “art creation company.” Subsequently in 2013, MadeIn launched a brand – Xu Zhen, redundantly making Xu a product of his own corporation.
Xu Zhen (b. 1977) has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition (2024), National Gallery of Australia, Parkes, Canberra, Australia (2020); Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA (2019); Kunsthaus Graz, Austria (2015); Long Museum, Shanghai, China (2015); Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China (2014); the Minsheng Museum, Shanghai, China (2012); Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland (2011); and S.M.A.K., Gent, Belgium (2009).
In 2019, XU ZHEN was commissioned by the Stanford University Public Art Commission to create an outdoor sculpture for the inaugural Stanford Plinth Project. The resulting monumental artwork, Hello (2021-2022), will be on view on Stanford's Palo Alto campus from 2022 through 2024.
Xu Zhen has participated in major international group exhibitions such as We Do Not Dream Alone, Asia Society Triennial, Asia Society, New York, NY (2020); Journey Beyond the Arrow, Sharjah Biennial 14, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (2019); Physique of Consciousness, Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool, United Kingdom (2018); Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (2017); 20th Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2016); Chinese artists at a time of Turbulence and Transformation, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (2016); Contemporary Art from China, Qatar Museums Gallery Al Riwaq, Doha, Qatar (2016); New Collection, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2015); 15 Rooms, co-curated by Klaus Biesenbach and Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Art Basel (2014); the 12th Biennale de Lyon (2013); Art of Change, Hayward Gallery, UK (2012); Performa07, New York (2007) and the 10th International Istanbul Biennial (2007).He was also included in the 49th Venice Biennale (2001), and the 51st Venice Biennale (2005).
His work is included in the permanent collections of institutions including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; M+ Museum, Hong Kong; Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; and the Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom. He lives and works in Shanghai.
Xu Zhen is a conceptual artist whose work often takes the form of provocative sculptures, installations and interventions that confront sociopolitical taboos in contemporary China and freely manipulate western expectations of Chinese art and commerce. In 2009, Xu Zhen subsumed his individual artistic identity and transformed into MadeIn – an “art creation company.” Subsequently in 2013, MadeIn launched a brand – XU ZHEN®️, redundantly making Xu a product of his own corporation.
