Cui Xiuwen
Since the early 2000s, Cui Xiuwen’s work has wrestled with social commentary and gender issues relating to her native China. Born in Heilongjiang in 1970, Cui represents a younger generation of Chinese artists who grew up during the era of sweeping reforms and increased openness, and consequently, her work is defined by a markedly radical streak. Her photography and videos often explore femininity and the nude’s constantly evolving perceptions in a rapidly developing nation. Cui draws influence from surprising sources, namely Western masters such as Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin; her explorations of the female body and how it is contextualized by society clearly point to Post-Impressionist influences.
Her 2006 Angel series reflects on being a single woman in China, using the same doll-like figure multiplied in varying settings, their poses poking fun at traditional girlishness while also considering the nature of female relationships and isolation, determination and vulnerability. Cui has also followed the same line of questioning with her video work. In Spiritual Realm of 2010, for instance, Cui presents black-and-white videos of naked men and women, who were variously asked for their definition of what it means to “be.”
Cui has exhibited her work around the world in exhibitions …
Since the early 2000s, Cui Xiuwen’s work has wrestled with social commentary and gender issues relating to her native China. Born in Heilongjiang in 1970, Cui represents a younger generation of Chinese artists who grew up during the era of sweeping reforms and increased openness, and consequently, her work is defined by a markedly radical streak. Her photography and videos often explore femininity and the nude’s constantly evolving perceptions in a rapidly developing nation. Cui draws influence from surprising sources, namely Western masters such as Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin; her explorations of the female body and how it is contextualized by society clearly point to Post-Impressionist influences.
Her 2006 Angel series reflects on being a single woman in China, using the same doll-like figure multiplied in varying settings, their poses poking fun at traditional girlishness while also considering the nature of female relationships and isolation, determination and vulnerability. Cui has also followed the same line of questioning with her video work. In Spiritual Realm of 2010, for instance, Cui presents black-and-white videos of naked men and women, who were variously asked for their definition of what it means to “be.”
Cui has exhibited her work around the world in exhibitions at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, as well as in galleries throughout China and in Milan, Berlin, Madrid, and New York.
National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
Centre George Pompidou, Paris, France
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Belgium Ullens Foundation
The Asia Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Rize Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands