Gallery 55 is proud to present Song Xi’s solo exhibition “Ultra Form” in Shanghai from the 23rd of July through the 14th of August, 2016.
“Ultra Form” comprises three installation works: ”Truth column”, “Knowledge ball” and “On the correct way of using the advanced verb”. The artist expresses that “Ultra Form” is a “radical” process of understanding realistic ideology. It is a state which avoids being modeled on consciousness, denies reality being correct, builds self aesthetic order, and change cognitive reality by inertia.
“Truth column” is an installation with one column in the centre, surrounded by 20 sets of television showing video footage taken from online news broadcast. Song Xi randomly inserts his own image into the news videos at a rate of 25 frames per second. When the videos are playing in a normal way, his own image will jump to the front of the screen randomly. It is difficult for the naked eye to capture a clear image.
“Knowledge ball” is a sculpture/installation composed of 199 books in the shape of “balls”. Song Xi tore pages off 199 used books, layering the pages up, eventually forming them into balls’ shape.
In “On the correct way of using the advanced verb”, Song Xi forms shape freely with aluminum foil paper on wooden board. Each action was regarded as a form of “word”. On completion, forms created are considered to be correct and advanced.
Born in China in 1983, Song Xi graduated with a B.A. from Dalian Light Industry Institute in 2006. In 2015, Song Xi won “Tomorrow Contemporary Sculpture Award” with his work “One cubic centimetre tear drop”.
Song Xi pays special attention to the body as the medium of expression in his artistic creation. He believes that political attribute is buried in the intensity of ideology of socialised body. The sensuality of the body, the temperature derived from emotion and pain form fundamental support for his creation. Warmth, hidden in the works of minimalist style, creates certain unknown relationship among the physical, the emotional and the material. Often, “wrong” judgment happens due to unfamiliar cognition and dissociation of experience in the order of inertia, causing intentional damage to the emotion as well as the body. Song Xi hopes to establish new order based on the existing system when outputting art, in addition to exploring the relationship between art and society.
Song Xi’s recent major exhibitions include: “Hong Kong is an art museum” (2016, Hong Kong, solo project); “Hypertext” (2016, Qimen Art, Beijing); “Silk Road International” (2016, Museum @ Nanjing Art Institute); “Wall Power” (2016, Today Art Museum, Beijing); “Continuous Movement” (2015, 203 Art Space, Shanghai, solo show); “Body of Light” (2015, 798 Metal Vault, Beijing, solo project); “The 16th Room” (2015, Compatibility Box, Shanghai, solo project); “Cooperation” (2015, The 16th OPEN International Performance Festival, Beijing); “The Power of art from the society” (2015, Beijing Minsheng Art Museum); “Tomorrow Sculpture Competition” (2015, Sichuan Academy of Art, China); “Fable” (2014, Dusseldorf, Germany, solo show); “The Awakening of Chinese Intuition” (2014, Yue Art Museum, Beijing); “4AA4” (2013, 4A Contemporary Art Centre, Sydney, Australia); “The 14th OPEN International Performance Festival” (2013, Beijing); “Individual Growth” (2013, Tianjin Art Museum, China); “ART • SANYA Art Season” (2012, Sanya Yalong Bay, China); etc.
