MADEIN COMPANY

ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is generally in good condition. Please note that it was not examined under ultraviolet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The artist Xu Zhen founded MadeIn Company in 2009 and introduces the company as follows: "It focuses on the power to create and produce art and strives to explore the infinite possibilities of contemporary culture." In 2013, Xu Zhen himself became an artistic brand promoted by this company. MadeIn breaks all the conventional notions of artistic creation, collecting, production, consumption, and copyright in order to redefine them in China and experiment with different possibilities in the Chinese art environment. This no dobut recalls the views of Andy Warhol, the father of American Pop Art, and his successor Jeff Koons. MadeIn Company's "products" subvert the definition of art in China and beyond, satirising itself along with the absurdities of the art system.

 

Untitled comes from the Spread series and is an important work dating from MadeIn Company's early period. The series began in 2009, about the same time as MadeIn's founding. It reproduces images from comics from around the world on cloth and puts them in pastiches with drawings and knitting to create visually rich and appealing high-relief soft sculptures on two-dimensional surfaces. The series was first shown in two Middle Eastern art fairs, where it satirised Western art pretending to be Middle Eastern by drawing from comics. While confusing cultural identities, it also challenged stereotypical Western views of Chinese art. Since then, the Spread series has continued to develop. Using the methods of Pop Art, it has occasioned Xu Zhen's explorations of semi-abstraction and pastiche. Dating from 2011, Untitled is a monumental work measuring 3.5 metres in length. The front features a stadium runway in front. Behind it are four large eyeballs pushing ahead in the chaos. Filled with symbols and elements of Western comics, the scene has immense visual impact and announces a creative style that is radically different from the ones that have been stereotypically associated with Chinese artists.