http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/cang_xin.htm

Cang Xin is a bona fide shaman; he holds the profound belief that all things have spirit – both animate and inanimate objects – and is a member of an order of enlightened holy men who have the ability to enter various forms at will. As one of China’s most celebrated performance artists, Cang approaches his work as a means to promote harmonious communication with nature. His works have included bathing with lizards, adorning the clothing of strangers, and prostrating himself on icy glaciers: each act representing a ritual of becoming the other.

Cang’s Communication is an ongoing piece, begun in 1996. Engaging with the world at large with his tongue – one of the most intimate and sensitive parts of the body – Cang’s performance represents an internalising of knowledge and a religious communion with place/person/thing. Sites for this performance have included Tiananmen Square and The Coliseum. In the work presented here, Cang recreates this performance in the gallery with a realer-than-real sculpture of himself. Cang minimises the concept of representation, creating an engaging ‘environment’ in life scale.

BIOGRAPHY

1967

Born in Suihua, Heilongjiang Province, China

Lives in East Town, Beijing; China

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1997
Program for the patient: Auto-write
Solo show of performance art, Beijing, China

1996
Communication
Solo show of performance art, Beijing; China

1994
Virus series: Trample the Face
Solo show of performance art, Beijing; China

1993
Virus series: No.1
Solo show of performance art, Beijing; China

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2006
Bologna International Art Expo Bologna, Italy

2005
Vehicle and Mirror Image,
Beijing New Art Projects (Gao Brothers Gallery)
Beijing; China

Photography Group Exhibition
Red Mansion Foundation, London; UK

Out of The Red – 2 The photographic Session
Marella Gallery, Milan; Italy

Living in Interesting Times:
A Decade of New Chinese Photography
The Open Museum of Photography, Haifa; Israel

A Strange Heaven: New Chinese Photography
Museum of Contemporary Art Helsinki; Finland

100 Artists for a Museum
Casoria Contemporary Museum; Italy

Body Scape:
Contemporary Chinese Photography & Performance Documentation
Red Gate Gallery, Melbourne; Australia

Unusual Scene
Five Chinese Contemporary Artists’ Case Analysis;
Today Art Museum, Beijing; China

Beauty - Chinese Contemporary Art
Xin Dong Cheng Space for Contemporary Art, Beijing; China

Bad Girls, Good Girls
Red Gate Foundation, London; UK

Inward Gazes Documentaries of Chinese Performance Art
Macao Museum of Art, Macao; China

2004
Spellbound Aura: The New Vision of Chinese Photography
Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei; Taiwan

Sens Interdits?
Sensuality in Contemporary Chinese Art.
Perigueux, France

Between Past and Future:
New Photography and Video from China
- International Center of Photography, New York; USA
- Asia Society, Chicago; USA
- Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago & Museum of Contemporary Art; USA
- Seattle Art Museum; USA
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London; UK
- Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Germany
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art; USA

The 9th Nippon Asian Performance Art Series ‘04
Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nagano; Japan

Moving ON
Contemporary Art Museum, National University of Singapore

The 4th Pingyao International Photography Festival
Pingyao, Shanxi Province; China

Public Territory
1st Architectural Biennial Beijing; China

Public Space and Urban Environment
Melbourne Art; Australia

Exposition
Red Gate gallery, Beijing; China

Chinese contemporary art photograph exhibition
Cologne; Germany

Photograph equipment exposition,
Alexandria gallery, Berlin; Germany

2003
Asian Art Festival
Asian Gallery, Fukuoka; Japan

Bare Androgyny
Beijing; China

A Strong Heaven - Contemporary Chinese Photography
- National Museum, Vienna; Austria
- France National Museum,
- Czechoslovakia National Museum.

Public Space and Personal Eyes - New Vision in China
Kampnagel Artist Center, Hamburg; Germany

2002
N Identity
Nanjing; China

Sydney Biennale - The World May be Fantastic
Sydney; Australia

Mask Vs. Face
Red Gate Gallery, Beijing; China

Photography Group Exhibition
Courtyard Gallery, Beijing; China

Ke Li Lang Over-Interest Contemporary Art Exhibition Singapore

Pingyao International Photography Festival
Pingyao, Shanxi Province; China

Making Dreams
Portrait Donglang Gallery, Shanghai; China

Bridge-Contemporary Art Exhibition
Jilin, Changchun; China

The 1st Guangzhou Triennial
Guangdong Art Museum, Guangdong; China

2001
Charming China
Bangkok; Thailand

The 8th International Performance Art Exhibition
Tokyo; Japan

Hot Pot Kinesisk Samtidskunst,
Chinese Contemporary Art; Norway

Virtual Future
Guangdong Museum of Art; China

Hong Kong Chinese Contemporary Photography
Hong Kong Art Center

Contemporary Chinese Photography
Galerie Loft, Paris; France

Uprising Singapore, Kualu Lumpar, Taiwan, Beijing, Macau,

Annual Exhibition of Chinese Photography Shandong, Dong Ying, China

Courtyard Gallery Four Person Exhibition Courtyard Gallery, Beijing, China

Neice Chinese Photography Festival Neice City, France

Dialogo Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Mantova, Italy

Chinese Contemporary Performance Photography Exhibition Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong

Dialogo - others Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Chiesa Santa Teresa dei Maschi, Bari, Italy

Knowledge is Power Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Beijing Xidan, China

2000
Xieyang Island Performance Art Festival Guangxi

2000
Image and Net Art Exhibition
Changchun; China

Home? Contemporary Art Project
Shanghai; China

Man and Animals
Performance art show, Beijing; China

International Contemporary Art Interflow Exhibition
Nanjing; China

Photographs of Four Artists
London; UK

Amazing China
Eastlink Gallery, Shanghai; China

International Performance Art Festival Beijing; China

Asian Art Festival
Performance art photo exhibition, Paris; France

Documentation of Chinese Avant-Garde Art in the 90’s
Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka; Japan

China’s Human Landscapes Land Art Exhibition, Guilin, China

Unusual and usual Contemporary Art Exhibition, Shanghai

1999
Modern Photography of Four Artists Tokyo

Out of Control
Beijing Design Museum; China

Start from China New Art Exhibition,
Beijing; China

Unusual Way of Writing
Art Academy of Nanjing Normal University; China

Traditional Visual Image
Fine Art Academy of Shanghai University; China

Documentation of Chinese Installation Art Exhibition
Hong Kong

1998
431 Video & Computer Art Exhibition
Changchun; China

1996
Cage
Installation & performance show, Beijing; China

1995
To Add One Meter to a Unknown Mountain
Performance art, Beijing; China

Original Sound
Performance art show, Beijing ; China

Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition
Changchun; China

1994
Asia Contemporary Art
Tokyo, Osaka; Japan

Post Eleven
Zhaoyao Gallery, Beijing

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