From seeds to the world’s smallest organisms, the inspiration for Shiyuan XuThe porcelain sculptures (earlier) originated in biology. Fascinated by the patterns, shapes and structures of a wide range of beings, the artist creates complicated interpretations of cells, the essential building blocks of all forms of life.
Work carefully with porcelain paper and mix of clay and cellulose fibers and glaze, xu sculpture flippers, amorphic forms that seem to be Amoeba-like, as if they are expanding and contracting. She is deeply influenced by the work of the Scottish mathematician biologist d’Arcy Thompson (1860–1948), whose groundbreaking book About growth and form Follows the scale and forms of living beings.
A “diagram of forces” is how Thompson described the shape of a copy. For XU, this dynamic evaluation forms how she translates micro -lives in her work. “It’s about movement, time and space,” she says. “It registers the way they move and grow; The way they respond to the surrounding environment through interaction, change, evolve and adapt to generate infinite new forms. “
XU regards the history of porcelain as deeply intertwined with her own memories and identity, and she often uses a classic Chinese ceramic color palette in her pieces. The irregular structures and ombre colors refer to the personal experiences of the artist. She says:
Because I have been an outsider in America over the past decade, my experience offers me a new perspective to display my own cultural heritage … The repetitive and labor -intensive process serves as a therapeutic response to the challenges of my experience in navigating by double cultures. My pieces are in many ways such as living organisms, a metaphor for the developing nature of life itself, and my own journey and roots.
If you are in London, you can see XU’s work in a small exhibition dedicated to Chinese contemporary studio -Ambacht on the V&AAnd her work will be included in a handful of upcoming jury exhibitions in Portugal, Italy and Missouri. Find more about her website.
