Fortune: XU ZHEN®

“Fortune” generally refers to the notion of opportunity, driven by purposeless and unpredictable force. This kind of chance was considered by French biochemist Jacques Monod as the only cause of natural processes. In the East, “Fortune” also refers to the essence of materials and the natural order of life movements.

A new series of paintings and a sculpture created by Xu Zhen brand in 2017 deciphering the human cultural codes as well as humorous re-creation will be presented. The jade bracelets appearing in Fortune paintings date back to the oriental stone tools from 10,000 BC, and allude to halos as often seen in Icons of Christian Saints. Similar symbols can also be found in ancient Egyptian paintings depicting the god of sun–Horus or in Longmen Grottoes statues of Wei Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Eternity – Nixian Sphinx, Sleeping Muse is the latest creation from Xu Zhen’s well known series “Eternity”. The combination of the ancient mythical creature Sphinx with the simple abstract classic oval head by Modernist sculptor Brancusi, superposes time and space forming a surreal cultural metaphor and a new visual image.

In a period of cultural instability with technological innovation and cognitive changes, Xu Zhen brand continuously explores and investigates clues in contingency through the use of humorous visual expression, in order to explore the origin of cultural consciousness, and re-connect different human civilizations. From the jades of the Neolithic period, ancient Greek statues and mythology to modernist sculptures of the twentieth century, the genes of human civilizations have been constantly extracted, reconstructed and regenerated in the creation of Xu Zhen brand, and will release new energies in the present context.