Groninger Museum presents the first large-scale solo exhibition of the work of Yin Xiuzhen
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, October 3, 2025


Groninger Museum presents the first large-scale solo exhibition of the work of Yin Xiuzhen
Yin Xiuzhen, Thought, 2009. Clothes and steel, 340 cm x 510 cm x 370 cm. Courtesy of The Pace Gallery, Beijing.



GRONINGEN.- The Groninger Museum is presenting the first large-scale solo exhibition of the work of Yin Xiuzhen. Yin Xiuzhen (1963) is one of the most prominent artists of her generation. Especially for this exhibition, Yin worked on the cityscape of Groningen, which is composed of clothes worn by citizens of Groningen.

In addition to recent work, the presentation also contains key works such as Collective Subconscious (2007), Thought (2009) and Waves (2009-2010). The Weapon installation (2003-2007) is also on display. This consists of twenty horizontally suspended spear-shaped objects that seem to fly as darts toward their target. This installation was purchased in 2008 and was exhibited during the Biennial in Venice in 2007.

Memory as a voice of opposition
Yin Xiuzhen is most famous for her installations that are made of second-hand clothes. These installations can be regarded as a reflection on the mega-makeover that cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are currently undergoing. In her work, she combines individual experience with these enormous societal changes. ‘In this rapidly changing China it seems as if, of all items, memories are the things that are vanishing most quickly. Storing memories is a kind of voice of opposition’, according to Yin. About her favourite material, Yin comments: ‘Clothes say a lot about a person. At a single glance they recount how big a person is, his or her age, style, gender and income. But they also narrate invisible information such as the memory of a certain period when the piece was worn, and the reason why it was kept.’

Personal work
In 1995, Yin Xiuzhen created her most personal work, Dress Box, for which she collected her own childhood clothes in an old clothes chest. She then cast cement in the chest, forever petrifying her precious memories. This action was a new beginning for her. It also occurred at the time that Beijing started out on its huge and radical transformation. Traditional quarters of the city, the so-called ‘hutongs’, were demolished to make way for high-rise blocks. In a very short time, whole areas of the city were littered with ruins. Yin: ‘I had exhibitions abroad and was on the road much of the time. At airports I saw the luggage that all those people from all over the world were carrying, and I imagined that these suitcases represented their homes in a certain way.’ On the basis of these deliberations, Yin created the series Portable Cities (2002-2003), consisting of opened suitcases that reveal mini-cities made of textile. Shanghai (2002), New York (2005), Berlin (2006) and Melbourne (2009) are works that she made for this presentation. This year, the city of Groningen will be added to this series.

The work of Yin Xiuzhen was first shown in the Groninger Museum during the exhibition entitled New World Order in 2008. Her work has been displayed in countless exhibitions in and outside China.

Compilation
The Yin Xiuzhen exhibition has been compiled by head curator Mark Wilson and the curator of present-day visual art, design and fashion Sue-an van der Zijpp.










Today's News

July 29, 2012

Pablo Picasso's "Paths of the South" examined at the Centre d’art La Malmaison in Cannes

Autumn sales at Koller Zurich to offer a spectacular rediscovery of an early painting by Goya

Exhibition at the Menil Collection explores the realm of silence in modern and contemporary art

MoMA presents first examination of childhood as a source for modern design thinking in the 20th century

Exquisite folios and paintings reveal the intricacies of Mughal and Persian art

"Rock, Paper, Scissors" exhibition at Leila Heller Gallery includes the work of nine artists

Groninger Museum presents the first large-scale solo exhibition of the work of Yin Xiuzhen

Doug Aitken's "The Source" to feature Tilda Swinton, Jack White, Mike Kelley and Jacques Herzog

Four international buildings shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects Lubetkin Prize

Philadelphia Museum of Art presents paintings by Sean Scully including major acquisitions

American Museum of Natural History explores the fascination and complex world of spiders

Asheville Art Museum presents Mel Chin: High, Low and In Between, a special installation and recent works

Aspen Art Museum presents first U.S. solo exhibition of 2012 artist in residence Amelie von Wulffen

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to be Honorary Chair of Gallery Weekend Chicago

"Pursuit of Perfection: The Politics of Sport" opens at South London Gallery

"Small Skills, Special Effects: Unusual Chinese Works of Art" at the Royal Ontario Museum

Pupils' winning Game launched at design museum

Bellevue Art Museum's fundraiser breaks all-time record: Over $1 million raised




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 




Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)


Editor: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful