XU ZHEN® Biography

XU ZHEN® (徐震) is a Chinese conceptual artist and curator. Working across a variety of media, including installation, video, painting, and performance, he has established himself as an iconic figure in contemporary Chinese art.

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Xu’s works combine a social critique of contemporary life with a dark sense of humour and an obvious, albeit ironic, disdain for the politics of art. His installations often take the form of elaborate, theatrical pranks. His ShanghART Supermarket, originally exhibited in 2007, replicates exactly an ordinary convenience store, though with empty products that are sold at the original price. Other, more recent works, have aimed to fuse elements of Chinese and Western cultures in a way that rejects typical perceptions of Chinese culture.

XU ZHEN® founded MadeIn Company, a collective contemporary art practice, in 2009. Xu has been producing works collaboratively since the collective’s inception, although several have been censored due to ‘inappropriate’ themes of violence and erotica. In 2014, Xu returned to his individual practice, though now as a ‘product’ of MadeIn Company, rather than its founder.

The artist’s recent solo exhibitions have included Movement Field at Long March Space, Beijing (2013); ShanghART Supermarket at ShanghART, Singapore (2014); Blissful As Gods at ShanghART H-Space, China (2014-2015); and Look Again at Pékin Fine Arts, Hong Kong (2015). Xu has exhibited at international institutions and biennales such as the Venice Biennale (both 2001 and 2005), the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; the Tate, Liverpool; and the Long Museum, Shanghai.

In 2004, Xu was awarded the prize for Best Artist at the China Contemporary Art Awards. He lives and works in Shanghai.

XU ZHEN®
featured artworks

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Alien 3 – Roman column, Western Han Tomb Pottery Female Dancer by XU ZHEN® contemporary artwork sculpture
XU ZHEN® Alien 3 – Roman column, Western Han Tomb Pottery Female Dancer, 2023 Mineral-based composite, mineral pigments, stainless steel
250 x 190 x 169 cm
ShanghART Request Price & Availability
Under Heaven - 3323GK0416 by XU ZHEN® contemporary artwork mixed media
XU ZHEN® Under Heaven - 3323GK0416, 2014 oil on canvas
90 x 120 x 12.5 cm
Not for sale
Duddell's
Corporate—(Eight Alliances 2) by XU ZHEN® contemporary artwork installation
XU ZHEN® Corporate—(Eight Alliances 2), 2014 Installation, Genuine and artificial leather, BDSM accessories, foam, metal, wood
230 x 368 x 50 cm
ShanghART Request Price & Availability
It Is More Particularly by Working upon This Imagination That Crowds Are Led. by XU ZHEN® contemporary artwork photography
XU ZHEN® It Is More Particularly by Working upon This Imagination That Crowds Are Led., 2012 Colour inkjet, plywood, stainless steel revolving doors
150 x 285 cm
ShanghART Request Price & Availability
Can't You See I'm Busy? by XU ZHEN® contemporary artwork installation
XU ZHEN® Can't You See I'm Busy?, 2014 Mirror finish stainless steel, metal chains
140 x 220 x 5.5 cm
ShanghART Request Price & Availability
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XU ZHEN®
recent exhibitions

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Represented by these
Ocula Member Galleries

Perrotin contemporary art gallery in Paris Marais, France
Perrotin Hong Kong, New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai +1
ShanghART contemporary art gallery in Singapore
ShanghART Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore
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XU ZHEN® in
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