The works of Jiao Xingtao challenge the meaning of sculpture, whilst simultaneously represent his attempts at objectively understanding the meaning of sculpture. Amongst the trivial and cast-away objects Jiao uses and recreates in his work, he seems to rediscover the dignity and value of sculpture, looking for new possibilities when facing modern life. When sculpture bids farewell to a bygone era, when its meaning and values are no longer simply defined by what it represents, the only possibility for sculpture is to turn its attention to new cultural questions and face contemporary life. Doing so Jiao’s works re-establish the relationship between sculpture and man.
Making castaway objects the subject matter of sculptures seems the complete opposite of traditional sculptural subjects - it seems to push sculpture to a dead end. Although this subject matter may seem strange, risky and absurd, they clearly do not push sculpture to a dead end. On the contrary, through his art works inspired by trivial and castaway objects, Jiao ignites the rebirth of sculpture.
While challenging the preconceived notions and philosophies on sculptures, the artist’s work attributes China’s societal changes. Questioning the past, present and future of Chinese society he emphasizes broken traditions, and the breaking away from the past. Meanwhile he addresses the challenges of China’s modern consumer’s culture. Is the present as perfect as one may expect or are China’s rapid changes resulting in tension and strains?
The installations that Jiao creates for Canvas International Art represent the livelihood of numerous middle-class workers in China. He assembles both daily life objects – clothes, furniture, food packaging, etc – and his own sculptures creating installations that provoke our thoughts on china’s development and the meaning of sculpture.
1970, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
1996 MFA Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, Chongqing, China
AWARDS
2002 Beijing International Urban Sculpture Invitation Exhibition
2001 Chongqing Inaugural Art and Literature Specialty Prize
1999 9th National Art Exhibition, Bronze Medal
Solo Exhibitions
2013 Past – Present – Perfect, Canvas International Art, Amsterdam
2012 Past – Present – Perfect, Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, United Kingdom
2012 Chang - Jiao Xingtao, White box museum, Beijing
2010 Wrapped Desires, Canvas International Art, Amsterdam
2010 Be, Chongqing Organhaus Art Space, Chongqing, Sichuan Province, China
2007 Matter Morphosis, Art Seasons, Beijing
2007 Requiem for Matter, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
Group exhibitions (selection)
2012 Meta-Question: Back to the Museum Per Se, Guangdong Triennial, Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou China
2012 Cantus Firmus, W139, Amsterdam
2011 Cracked Culture-The Quest for Identity in Contemporary Chinese Art, Collateral Event of the Biennale Arte 2011, Venice Italy
2011 The Hague Under Heaven--Contemporary Sculpture from China, Den Haag, the Netherlands
2011 Start from the Horizon -- Chinese Contemporary Sculpture from 1978, Si Shang Art Museum, Beijing
2011 No Absence --Inaugural Exhibition of Wenxuan Art Museum 2011, Wenxuan Art Museum, Chengdu China
2011 Meet and Homesick--- Contemporary Art Exhibition, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing China
2010 Work in Spreading; Transmit and Translate the Images, Iberia Centre for Contemporary Art, Beijing
2010 Nature of China: Contemporary Art Documentary, True Color Museum, Suzhou, Anhui Province, China
2010 Nature of China, 2010 Contemporary Art Documenta, True Color Museum, Suzhou, Anhui Province, China
2009 In the Mood for Paper, F2 Gallery, Beijing
2009 Yi Pai - Century Thinking; Contemporary Art Exhibition, Today Art Museum, Beijing
2009 Future – Together, Nomination Exhibition, Arario Gallery, Beijing
2009 China Gold; Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Musée Maillol, Paris
2008 OPEN XI, International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations, Venice, Italy
2008 Reflective Asia, Nanjing Triennial, Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, China
2008 Hangzhou International Sculpture Invitation Exhibition, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
2008 Crouching Paper, Hidden Dragon, Works on Paper, F2 Gallery, Beijing
2007 China Now Now, Canvas International Art, Amstelveen, The Netherlands
2007 Set From Southwest: Exhibition of Contemporary Art in Southwest China, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
2007 Energy - Spirit, Body and Matter, Today Art Museum, Beijing
2007 Floating: New Generation of Art in China, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul
2007 Images of Desire, Songzhuang Museum of Art, Beijing, China
2007 Concord But Diverse, China Contemporary Sculpture Nomination Exhibition, Yanhuang Art Museum, Beijing
2007 Annual Shanghai International Exhibition of Sculpture 2007, Shanghai Sculpture Space, Shanghai, China
2006 First Annual China Contemporary Art Exhibition, World Art Museum Beijing, Beijing
2006 Humanity Landscape: An Exhibition of Contemporary Sculpture, Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China
2006 Concord But Diverse, Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, Quisheng Art Assembly Hall, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
2006 China Contemporary, Experimental Bust Sculpture Exhibition, Museum of Art Tianjin, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Tianjin, China
2006 Feng Shui, Jiujiantong Art Exhibition, Zendai Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai
2005 Scenery, Century and Heaven, Chengdu Biennale Exhibition & Convention Center, Chengdu, China
2005 Dress Up in Art Exhibition, Today Art Gallery, Beijing, China
2005 In Operation; Contemporary Art Exhibition, Shenzhen Sculpture Academy, Shenzhen, Guangzhou Province, China
2005 Yellow Sky Flat Earth; Sculpture Exhibition, World Art Museum Beijing, China
2005 100 Years of Sculpture, Invitation Exhibition, Exhibition Hall, Shanghai Urban Planning, Shanghai, China
2004 Oita International Sculpture Exhibition, Oita, Japan
2004 No Boundary, Construction Site Art Exhibition, Chongqing, China
2004 China Imagine, China Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, Jardin des Tuilleries, Paris
2004 Zhua Zhuang Ding - Contemporary Art from Chongqing, Art Seasons, Beijing
2004 Bi Ci Contemporary Art Exhibition, Toulouse, France
2004 10th National Art Exhibition, National Art Museum of China, Beijing
2003 National Art Exhibition from Ten Art Schools, Qinghua University School of Fine Arts, Beijing
2003 Changchun International Sculpture Invitation Exhibition, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
2003 First Beijing international Biennale, National Art Museum of China, Beijing
2002 Beijijng International Urban Sculpture Invitation Exhibition, Beijing
2002 Xi Bufeng, China Sculpture Exhibition, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing
2002 Unfathomable Art, Chongqing Art Museum Opening Exhibition, Chongqing Art Museum, Chongqing, Sichuan Province, China
2001 Chongqing Chilis, School of Arts and Design, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
2001 Shanghai Jingwen Art Exhibition, Jingwen Art Centre, Shanghai
2000 The 2nd China Youth Sculpture Invitation Exhibition, China Academy of Art (Museum of Art), Hangzhou, Qingdao Sculpture Museum, Qingdao, Shenzhen Sculpture Academy, Shenzhen