| Among the many Chinese artists who work with military themes, Xing Jun-Qin is a maverick. Military-focused artists are a special category in contemporary Chinese art, in that they are sponsored by the military and make work about army. Their work is mostly about realism. They utilize military subjects, building a visual image of soldiers that is familiar to the public, creating a standard view of soldiers in society. The emphasis is often on beautifying military life, being optimistic, encouraging people—serving the purpose of propaganda. In recent years there have been some works that deal with individuals in the military, the danger of war, how war impacts on people, both mentally and physically, how war makes heroes, but more or less the works would repeat the same statement. | _thumb.jpg "Image")
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Feng Bo-Yi
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Xing Jun-Qin, River Crossing, 2007. Resin, 90 x 90 x 50 cm, one edition only. Courtesy of 798 Avant Gallery.
Among the many Chinese artists who work with military themes, Xing Jun-Qin is a maverick. Military-focused artists are a special category in contemporary Chinese art, in that they are sponsored by the military and make work about army. Their work is mostly about realism. They utilize military subjects, building a visual image of soldiers that is familiar to the public, creating a standard view of soldiers in society. The emphasis is often on beautifying military life, being optimistic, encouraging people—serving the purpose of propaganda. In recent years there have been some works that deal with individuals in the military, the danger of war, how war impacts on people, both mentally and physically, how war makes heroes, but more or less the works would repeat the same statement. That is: victory is upon us, or it’s heroic to be in war. Xing’s art, avant-garde and experimental, is drastically different from that of his fellow artists.
