Details
XUE SONG (CHINA, B. 1965)
The Blown Off Kite
signed 'XUE SONG' (lower right); signed again 'XUE SONG', titled in Chinese, signed again, inscribed and dated 'XUE SONG 120cm x 100cm 1995.3' (on the reverse)
acrylic and charred printed paper collage on canvas
99 x 118.3 cm. (39 x 46 5/8 in.)
Executed in 1995
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner
Private Collection, USA
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Lot Essay

In the post-Cultural Revolution era, Chinese artists have been critically engaged with interpreting history and looking forward. Xue Song creates this deliberate cultural discourse between the old and the new through the negative space left behind and through the incorporation of charred leftovers from the 1990 fire that burned down his studio and his entire collection of artworks. The canvas becomes a form of mourning, a remembrance of the past, but also a hope for transcendence and rebirth.

In The Blown Off Kite, Xue Song juxtaposes a contemporary cultural iconography with traditional calligraphic scripts, creating a multi-sensory imagery. The work demonstrates Xue Song’s acclaimed ability to integrate contemporary elements with elements manifested in the cultural memory, simultaneously preserving the historic memories while presenting his understanding and grasp on contemporary iconography as well.

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