Artist continues to surprise fans

Xu Zhen's landmark works, such as the video Shouting, will be shown in his latest show in Beijing. Provided to China Daily

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Xu Zhen is one of the few artists to enjoy fame and wealth in his early 20s. He was the youngest Chinese artist to participate in the Venice Biennale in 2001, and four years later, he exhibited his video Shouting in the first Chinese pavilion at the biennale.

But, he found himself losing his curiosity and interest as an independent artist. So he announced his decision to change direction and founded a company, MadeIn, to produce "contemporary art creation".

Xu, now 36, calls the two-story warehouse, located in an industrial zone in Shanghai, the place where he diffuses his art practice and "changes the world".

"It's really boring to live without changing the world," Xu once said about his art engagement. Looking back at the brave claim, the Shanghai native says he still believes he was not exaggerating and has implemented his art idealism into China's contemporary art scene.

Since its birth, MadeIn, which is the short form of "made in China" and "made in Xu Zhen", has showcased its works at Shanghai Art Gallery, Long March Space in Beijing, James Cohan Gallery in New York and the Kunsthalle Bern in Switzerland.

MadeIn's next stop is Beijing's Ullens Center of Contemporary Arts.

"Curiosity is crucial for me. When I started preparing for this exhibition, I was curious to see what it would be like. And surprisingly, I reviewed my past works and MadeIn, and found out that what I have done reflected the changes of the Chinese contemporary art scene. I feel very excited about that discovery," says Xu.

Titled Xu Zhen: A MadeIn Company Production, the exhibition-with more than 50 installations, 10 videos, 40 paintings and several performances-will offer a retrospective, exploring the artist's practice since 1997 and his art extension through MadeIn.

The exhibition will include a number of his landmark works, such as the video Shouting, in which the artist shouts on crowded city streets, only to capture the shock and dismay of hundreds of passersby.

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