Ah Xian is an Australian-Chinese artist based in Sydney, Australia. He was a practising artist in China throughout the 1980s and sought political asylum in Australia following the massacre of Tiananmen Square in 1989. Ah Xian sold his first bust to the Powerhouse Museum, and in the year 2000, he held his first solo show in Melbourne. In 2001, he won the National Gallery of Australia's inaugural National Sculpture Prize with his "Human Human : Lotus Cloisonne Figure”. He continues to make sculptures to this day.
Ah Xian is highly skilled in the art of ceramics and sculpting, using a variety of different materials, including concrete, cloisonné, resin-fibreglass, jade, Ox-bone inlay, porcelain, latex and bronze. His ceramic works mainly consist …show more content…
The process in which Ah Xian uses to create these busts are each quite extensive. He uses female Chinese models to create a set of molds, from which a Resin-Fibre cast of each bust is taken. He then polishes the cast which will be used as a base for the final bronze version. The resin-fibre cast is covered in wax before being encased in a mould, from which the final cast is taken at a bronze factory.” And so it can be seen that Ah Xian utilises quite an intricate artmaking practice when designing and casting his busts. Metaphysica exemplifies this.
Ah Xian’s artworks are all closely linked with the four frames of art - subjective, cultural, structural and postmodern.
The Subjective Frame of Art is the personal experiences of the artist, the feelings and emotions expressed by them, and how the audience interprets this. As stated previously, Ah Xian personally experienced the Protest of the Tiananmen Square, and then journeyed to Australia. This experience of journey can be seen through his series of artworks called ‘China, China’, which depicts his own experiences and his journey from China to Australia. This leads to how Ah Xian’s Chinese Culture also seeps into his artworks - The Cultural Frame.
“Bust 28”, 1999, China, China
Ah Xian is highly skilled in the art of ceramics and sculpting, using a variety of different materials, including concrete, cloisonné, resin-fibreglass, jade, Ox-bone inlay, porcelain, latex and bronze. His ceramic works mainly consist …show more content…
The process in which Ah Xian uses to create these busts are each quite extensive. He uses female Chinese models to create a set of molds, from which a Resin-Fibre cast of each bust is taken. He then polishes the cast which will be used as a base for the final bronze version. The resin-fibre cast is covered in wax before being encased in a mould, from which the final cast is taken at a bronze factory.” And so it can be seen that Ah Xian utilises quite an intricate artmaking practice when designing and casting his busts. Metaphysica exemplifies this.
Ah Xian’s artworks are all closely linked with the four frames of art - subjective, cultural, structural and postmodern.
The Subjective Frame of Art is the personal experiences of the artist, the feelings and emotions expressed by them, and how the audience interprets this. As stated previously, Ah Xian personally experienced the Protest of the Tiananmen Square, and then journeyed to Australia. This experience of journey can be seen through his series of artworks called ‘China, China’, which depicts his own experiences and his journey from China to Australia. This leads to how Ah Xian’s Chinese Culture also seeps into his artworks - The Cultural Frame.
“Bust 28”, 1999, China, China