Yin Xiuzhen was born in Beijing in 1963. As a leading figure in Chinese performance and installation art since the early 1990s, Yin Xiuzhen explores the interaction between the wave of globalization and local traditions and the inter-infiltration of personal history and collective experience.
Her works compose a rich memory vault of culture, which captures the changes that have taken place in China since the late 20th century and demonstrates the artist’s capability to sculpt various everyday objects through ingenious techniques, most notable for the sewing and porcelain casting. The everyday objects used by Yin Xiuzhen can serve as a memory carrier since they are close to the human bodies and routine lives of countless individuals.
By using the sensual power of such materials, especially worn clothing, her artworks record collective experiences that are often oblivious throughout national history, while presenting the disturbing and interrelated global phenomena such as rapid urbanization, uncontrolled environmental destruction, and how globalization erases pluralism.