Miao Xiaochun

WORK:
Microcosmos + Microcosmos video
(Remould Project)

TECHNICAL DETAILS:
Microcosm, 2008.
9 panel digital C-print installation. 157 x 654 cm
Microcosm, 2007-2008.
Single-channel video animation, 4K. 15’, 55“

Description: Microcosm forms part of Miao Xiaochun’s Renaissance Trilogy, three major projects which bring landmark works from the history of art into dialogue with digital technology. The Last Judgement in Cyberspace, based on Michelangelo’s fresco in the Sistine Chapel, was the first in this group, followed by H2O (after Cranach’s The Fountain of Life) and Microcosm.

For Microcosm, Miao Xiaochun built a virtual world in which Bosch’s imagery is replaced by references to modern life. Motorised vehicles, plastic toys and a robotised Adam feature in this modern-day allegory. An intensely personal reflection on the human condition, Microcosm is populated by computer-generated models of the artist’s own body, used to symbolise us all. The nine-panel installation offers multiple perspectives, enabling the viewer to gaze directly into heaven from hell and vice versa, while the video is a flowing tale of contemporary existence.

Biography: Miao Xiaochun (Wuxi, China, 1964) is an essential figure in new media, widely considered the pioneer of digital art in China. Originally rejected by arts faculties, he first studied German at Nanjing University, then History of Art at Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Beijing, before finally attending art school at Kunsthochschule Kassel, Germany. From his early explorations in painting, Xiaochun moved to centre his practice on photography from the late 1990s, then on digital animation from 2005.

Currently Professor of Photography and Digital Media at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Miao Xiaochun has exhibited worldwide, including solo exhibitions at Today Art Museum, Beijing (China), Ludwig Museum, Koblenz (Germany) and The Dennos Museum Center, Michigan (USA). His work was featured at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013 and is held by prestigious international collections including the The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul (South Korea) and MoMA (New York, USA).

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