Kan Xuan () (born in 1972 in

Xuancheng Xuancheng () is a city in the southeast of Anhui province. Archeological digs suggest that the city has been settled for over 4,000 years, and has been under formal administration since the Qin dynasty. Located in the lower Yangtze River drainage ...

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

) is a Chinese contemporary

visual art The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts ...

ist, known for her experimental

video art Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting ...

works, though some of her work incorporates

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

, and

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

. She is considered as one of the most important female video artists of China, and has been active since the late 1990s.

Early life

Kan was born in

Anhui Province Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

. She studied from 1993 to 1997 at the

China Academy of Art China Academy of Art (), also translated as China National Academy of Fine Arts, was founded in Hangzhou in 1928 by the government of the Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China and the renowned educator Cai Yuanpei. It was the first a ...

, in

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

, where she was part of the evolution of video art from its inception in China. Two of her teachers were Geng Jianyi and Zhang Peili. During this time she became friends with video artists already renowned at the time, such as Zhang Peili. She moved to Shanghai after graduating from the China Academy of Art and then moved to Beijing in 1998. To maintain a living, Kan Xuan also did many other jobs such as sculpture assistant, and also worked at a movie production company. It was there she learned how to use the computer, video making, and 3D editing.

Career

In 1998, she went to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and worked for a sculpture factory and various

film production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

companies. She participated in her first major group exhibition by showing her still frame video work "Kan Xuan! - Eh!" at the "Art for Sale" exhibition in 1999, which was one of the most innovative experimental art exhibitions to take place in China at the time. Kan completed a residency at the

Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) was founded in 1870 in Amsterdam. It is a classical academy, a place where philosophers, academics and artists meet to test and exchange ideas and knowledge. The school supports ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

from 2002 to 2003. She received the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

’

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in 2005. During her time in the Netherlands, she created works that focus on the concepts of liberation, globalization and its impact on economy. Much of her work examined the differences between China and the West, rich and poor, and effects of commercialization, which she explored in her 1999 work "Garbage" and 2006-2009 work "Island". In 2009, she returned to Beijing, where she worked on large scale installations about Chinese history. She travelled extensively throughout China while making many short documentary films about important traditions that are often ignored in the present time. A notable aspect of her work at exhibition "Yellow Signal: New Media in China" (2012) at The Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art was an exploration of Zen spirituality.

Artistic style

Kan Xuan is often directly associated with the cool end of China's new media and video art. Yet opportunities to see her work, especially in mainland China have been rare. Her first show in Beijing (2003), when her work Looking, Looking, Looking (2002) was included as a part of a touring exhibition named "Under Construction". In the next few years, some of her works were shown in and around 798. Kan is often featured in her videos. She uses her personal experience as a way to convey the concepts of the works. Her early low-tech handheld camera-work brought an intimacy and beauty to seemingly trivial elements from everyday life. She quietly and humorously expresses immediate sensual experiences in unique visual angles, to an effect of sense altering and thought-provoking narratives. The artist's modest character is reflected through her work as a subtle, succinct nature; becoming a combination of understated visual components and a consciously slight choice of motifs brought to exploring profound ideas. Kan often plays with ambiguity and dissonance. Although her works are often short and simple, they allude to a deeper sense of spiritualism. In her own words, "it is about trying to become closer to and trying to follow, in every moment, my wish to exist in that distance between ‘thinking’ and ‘feeling’."

Personal life

Currently, Kan divides her time between

and Amsterdam.

Exhibitions

;Solo exhibitions * 2008: "Kan Xuan! Ai!." Galleria Continua (San Gimignano, Italy) * 2009: "Light, Works by Kan Xuan." Arrow Factory (Beijing) * 2012: "Kan Xuan: Millet Mounds."

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art UCCA Center for Contemporary Art or UCCA () is a leading Chinese independent institution of contemporary art. Founded in 2007. Located at the heart of the 798 Art District in, China, it welcomes more than one million visitors a year. Originally k ...

(Beijing) * 2016: "Kan Xuan" Ikon Gallery (Birmingham) ;Selected group exhibitions * 1999: "Art for Sale" Modern Art Center (Shanghai) * 2000: "Home?, Contemporary Art Exhibition." Yuexing Furniture Plaza (Shanghai) * 2002: "The First Guangzhou Trienniale - Reinterpretation: A Decade of Experimental Chinese Art (1990-2000)." Guangdong Museum of Art (Guangzhou) * 2002: "Under Construction: New Dimensions of Asian Art." The Japan Foundation Asia Center; Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation * 2003: "Alors la Chine?"

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

, Paris * 2004: "Dial 62761232 (Express Delivery Exhibition), Contemporary Art Exhibition." BizArt, Shanghai * 2005: "The Second Guangzhou Triennial, BEYOND: an extraordinary space of experimentation for modernization." Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou * 2006: "9th Havana Biennial." National Art Center, Havana, Cuba * 2006: "Nunca salgo sin mi cámara / Never Go Out Without My DVcam, Video en china." Museo Colecciones ICO, Madrid, Spain * 2006: "China Power Station: Part I." Battersea Power Station (London) * 2007: "China Power Station: Part II." Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway * 2007: "China Power Station: Part III." National Art Museum, Luxembourg * 2007: "Not only Possible, But also Necessary-Optimism in the Age of Global War." 10th International

Istanbul Biennial The Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition that has been held biennially in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The Biennial has been organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) since its inception. Format Istanbul Bien ...

* 2007: "Everyday Miracles: Four Women Artists" at The Chinese Pavilion. 52nd

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

* 2008: "Our Future, The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection."

, Beijing * 2009: "Bourgeoisified Proletariat, Contemporary Art Exhibition in Songjiang." Shanghai Songjiang Creative Studio * 2010: "Jungle: A Close-Up Focus on Chinese Contemporary Art Trends." Platform China, Beijing * 2010: “Kan Xuan: Qingxie de Jiashi” (Kan Xuan: Oblique Housework)."

National Art Museum of China The National Art Museum of China (NAMOC, ) is located at 1 Wusi Ave, Dongcheng District, Beijing, People's Republic of China. It is one of the largest art museums in China, and is funded by the Ministry of Culture. The construction of the museu ...

, Beijing * 2012: "The Unseen - 4th Guangzhou Triennial." The Guangdong Museum of Art * 2013: "The Garden of Diversion, Sifang Art Museum Inaugural Exhibition." Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing * 2014: "The 8 of Paths, Art Exhibition in the Uferhallen." Uferhallen, Berlin * 2015: "Mobile M+: Moving Images." M+ (Hong Kong) * 2015: "China 8: Contemporary Art from China at the Rhine and Ruhr."

Lehmbruck Museum The Stiftung Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum - Center for International Sculpture is a museum in Duisburg, Germany. Sculptures by Wilhelm Lehmbruck, after whom the museum is named, make up a large part of its collection. However, the museum has a sub ...

, Duisburg * 2016: "Tales of Our Time."

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...

(New York, U.S.A.) ;Private collections * Dr. Michael I. Jacobs Collection, U.S.A. * M+ Collection, Hong Kong

Honors

* 2005:

Selected works and publications

* Special issue of ''

Fused Magazine ''Fused Magazine'' is a travel, culture and design magazine based in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands, England and distributed throughout the World. The magazine was founded by editors David and Kerry O'Coy in 2000. It is published twic ...

'' published to accompany the Serpentine Gallery exhibition at Battersea Power Station, 8 Oct. - 5 Nov. 2006 * Catalog of an exhibition held at Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Sept. 8-Dec. 2, 2007 * Catalogue of an exhibition held at Galleria Continua (Beijing), 12 July 2008 * Published on the occasion of the exhibition Kan Xuan: Millet Mounds at the

, 15 September 2012-15 November 2012 * Published on the occasion of the exhibition held at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, July 6-September 11, 2016 * Published on the occasion of the exhibition Tales of Our Time at the

, November 4, 2016 - March 10, 2017

References

External links

KAN XUAN 阚萱
at ShanghART Gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Kan, Xuan 1972 births Living people 20th-century Chinese women artists 20th-century Chinese artists 21st-century Chinese women artists Artists from Anhui China Academy of Art alumni Chinese contemporary artists Chinese multimedia artists People from Xuancheng Prix de Rome (Netherlands) winners