Xixia Wu

Biography:

Xixia Wu, installation artist and designer, Co-founder of Macau Kun Studio and Kun Art & Culture (Zhuhai Hengqin), she graduated in Master of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, her study focus on feminist philosophy.

In July 2021, Xixia’s solo exhibition “Fe-volution” was held in Zhuhai, and her solo exhibition “Her-Mountain” will be held in Beijing 798 Songyang Art Museum in December 2021. In the same year, “The Secret of Body I” was selected for the Kwangju International Biennale in South Korea, and “Plastic Women” was selected for the 4th Lishui International Photography Festi- val 2021. In 2020, the photography installation art exhibition “ConnectiCity” was held at MGM Macau. From 2020 to 2021, her installation works have been exhibited in Guangzhou Poly World Trade Expo, Macau Fashion Gallery and Shenzhen INPARK Cultural and Creative Park. “Plastic Women” has been exhibited at Soprafina Art Museum in Boston, USA, Virginia Spetco Art Museum, UmassD Art Museum, New Bedford Art Museum, Venetian Macao MIF Exhibition, and Macao Visual Art Exhibition from 2018 to 2020.

The artist has studied calligraphy with her grandfather for ten years since she was a child. She loves and respects Chinese culture, and can copy the copybooks exactly the same. In this performance art, the artist enters an airtight inflatable ball and writes on the inner wall of “The Orchid Pavilion” known as “The best calligraphy in the world”. During the writing process, the twenty different “Zhi” characters appearing in the text were replaced with visual images of male symbols.During the writing process, the oxygen is gradually depleted, and the artist will break the ball out before suffocating.

Rules are determined by ancestors, traditions, and authority. The patriarchal imprint of traditional culture has been rooted in the minds of Chinese people through ethics, morals, and customs for thou- sands of years, and has penetrated all corners of society through mass media. This behavior is non-liter- ary. The reason why chose to write The Orchid Pavilion Preface is because “the corpses of acquaintanc- es are more attractive than the corpses of strangers (quote).”

With the development of society, the impact of modernity on tradition has shaken the traditional gender culture, and the modern gender culture with equality and independence has promoted the awakening and liberation of women. The visual image that replaces the word “Zhi” with a male symbol is a rebellion against tradition, conveying that performance artists break the gender boundary, try to break the binary opposition of gender, and deconstruct the modern gender cultural appeal of the masculine gender myth. The closed ball symbolizes that women are currently facing the predicament of the strength of traditional gender cultural habits and collective unconsciousness. Breaking the ball indicates that women break the dilemma of slavery caused by gender and pursue the perfection and unity of the relationship between the sexes in the development of gender roles.

Exhibitions & Art Fairs:

  • (2023) “Confrontation”, the 17th Macau International Live Arts Festival MIPAF, Macau;

  • (2023) Curator: “Entrance” Art Exhibition, Chimelong Resort, Zhuhai;

  • (2022) “The Second Preface to Orchid Pavilion”, Wuzhen Theater Festival, Muxin Art Museum, Shuitai, Zhejiang;

  • (2022) “Object Catching Machine”, Unbounded Art Museum, Zhuhai

  • (2022) “Art Garbage”, Macau Cattle House/Former Granny House Art Space, Macau;

  • (2022) “Letter to My Mother”, Gree Unbounded Art Museum, Zhuhai

  • (2022) “The Birth of the Phallus”, Let’s Salon, Zhuhai;

  • (2022) “Secrets of the Body”, Gwangju International Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea;

  • (2022) “The Secret of the Body”, the 8th YAA Asian Young Artist Nomination Exhibition, Beijing:

  • (2022) “Her Mountain”, Liancheng Art Festival – a joint exhibition of four artists from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Hengqin, Zhuhai;

  • (2021) “Evolution”, Macau Oriental Foundation, Macau;

  • (2021) “Plastic Girl”, Lishui International Photography Festival, Lishui, Zhejiang;

  • (2021) “Correct”, Haiqing Society Charity Auction, Zhuhai;

  • (2021) “Writing the Preface to Orchid Pavilion”, Macau White Dove’s Nest Oriental Foundation, Macau;

  • (2020) “I”, Hong Kong Yunfeng Art Gallery, Hengqin;

  • (2020) “Connected City”, MGM Macau Dual Exhibition, Macau;

  • (2020) “Reduced Landscape”, 2020 Macao Visual Joint Exhibition, won the Outstanding Work Award, Macao;

  • (2020) “Tender&Tough”, Guangzhou Poly World Trade Expo Center, Guangzhou;

  • (2020) “II”, Shenzhen INPARK Cultural and Creative Park, Shenzhen;

  • (2020) “Babel”, Macau Fashion Gallery-organized by the Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau, Macau;

  • (2020) “Sail on the Mirror Sea”, Zhuhai Hengqin East-West Art Exhibition, Zhuhai Hengqin;

  • (2020) “Plastic Girl Series”, MIF Exhibition at The Venetian Macao, Macau;

  • (2020) “Gorgeous”, installation art French HOAA·LUMENΦ art theme exhibition, France;

  • (2018) “Plastic Girl Series”, exhibited at Soprafina Art Museum, Boston, USA;

  • (2018) “Plastic Girl Series”, exhibited at Virginia Spetco Art Museum, Virginia, United States;

  • (2018) “Plastic Girl Series”, selected for the 2018 Macau Visual Joint Exhibition, Macau;

  • (2018) “Plastic Women Series”, Plastic Women was invited to be exhibited at New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford, United States · (2018) “Gender Theory: Women in a Materialistic Society”, Umass Art Museum, Dartmouth, United States;

  • (2018) “Marriage”, Soprafina Museum of Art, Boston, Boston, United States;

  • (2018) “Disposable Bag”, Guangzhou Mount Olive Art Museum, Guangzhou(2022) “”Beauty” Designer”, Guangzhou Yi Contemporary Art Center, Guangzhou

  • (2022) “Write the word “Zhi” repeatedly 1000 times”, Beijing Yachang Art Digital Exhibition Hall, Beijin.