SUN XUN

ShanghART Gallery is pleased to present Unfounded Predictions, Sun Xun’s second solo exhibition in Singapore from 1^st August to 4^th October 2015. The exhibition showcases 56 works created between 2012–2014 under various art residency programme in different countries, some of which has been exhibited for a year at My Generation: Young Chinese Artists presented by the Tampa Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg last year. In addition, Sun Xun will paint live in ShanghART Singapore on ‘the spur of the moment’, the artwork will be presented alongside with the rest.

Sun Xun’s creations often correspond to events happening in reality. During his residency in Singapore Tyler’s Print Institute back in 2013, his artwork Republic of Jing Bang – a pseudo country was originated to reflect a multiracial co-existence, and a harmonious country governed with critical strategies. Ironically, the exhibition was cancelled due to a riot outbreak in Little India. The incident seems to be a contrasting occurrence in relation to Sun Xun’s work.

When Art addresses world issues, it interacts and becomes part of our life, provoking our thoughts. How does a country and history exist when time is of the essence? In 2013, Sun Xun participated in a group exhibition at Yalta European Strategy Annual Meeting held in Ukraine. By the end of the exhibition, Ukraine fell into the state of crisis. Peculiarly, history seems to reshuffle itself while the unknown lingers in reality.

Reflected in his art, Sun Xun has always been concerned with the world issues and events, how his work probes and opens a dialogue with the world. ‘In retrospect, the world is still huge while I am minute in comparison, and the unknown is boundless like a black hole. Well, I have marked my presence around the world with over a hundred pieces of painting created for each residency programme to witness the merciless history. For history, for life, for art, perhaps the only thing we need to be is to embrace the unpredicted, unfounded occurrence!’–Sun Xun

Sun Xun (b.1980) was born in Fuxin, Liaoning Province. He currently lives and works in Beijing. He graduated from the China Academy of Fine Arts in 2005 and founded π Animation Studio in the following year. Sun Xun completed his first 3D animated film Magic Party and Dead Crow, which was nominated in the 8^th Rome Film Festival 2013, and has received Young Artist Award in The 8^th AAC Art China Awards for the Most Influential in 2014. Some notable awards include Best Young Artist, Chinese Contemporary Art Awards (2010), Young Art Award, Taiwan Contemporary Art Link (2010), and the Arts Fellowship by Citivella Ranieri Foundation, Italy (2010).

Sun Xun’s recent major exhibitions include Script Film-A Sun Xun Art Theater Residence Project, Hangzhou, China (2015); The Time Vivarium, Sean Kelly, New York, U.S.A (2014); PALIMPSESTES – Sun Xun Solo Exhibition, ShanghART Singapore, Singapore (2014); Brave New World, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Hong Kong (2014); Yesterday Is Tomorrow, Hayward Gallery, London, UK (2014); Magician Party and Dead Crow, ShanghART Beijing, Beijing (2013); The 4th Moscow International Biennale for Young Artists Exhibition in Moscow, Russia (2014); My Generation: Chinese Young Artists, Tampa Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A (2014); Chinese Ink: Past as Present in Contemporary China, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A (2013); Documentary Fortnight 2013, MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media, New York, U.S.A (2013).