Ah Xian was born Liu Ji Xian, in Beijing, China, in 1960. While both of Xian's parents worked at universities, Xian worked as a mechanical fitter and in a factory. Xian taught himself how to paint, though at one point was jailed overnight by the Chinese Communist Party for producing nude paintings. He adopted the name Ah Xian in 1983.[1][2]
In 1989, Xian travelled to Australia to visit the University of Tasmania. He briefly returned to Beijing, but did not stay as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre on 4 June motivated him to leave China.[2] After leaving China, he applied for asylum in Australia.[3] Though his application was initially rejected in 1989, he was granted residency in Australia in 1995.[1]
Art exhibitions
Metaphysica (2007). Metaphysica includes a series of bronze busts. Each bust is different from the rest in that there is a different object on the head of each bust. Xian chose the objects individually as each of them referenced Chinese mythological or historical belief systems.[1]
Concrete Forrest (2009). Concrete Forrest depicts a series of 36 busts in concrete rather than in porcelain, like in China China. Each bust has its own feature of vegetation from the local area surrounding Jingdezhen.[1]
Human, Human (2000). Human Human depicts a full body porcelain casting, featuring a woman with an almost scaley-like green print across her body, with blooming flowers and plants travelling upwards from her feet to her head.[1]
China, China (1999). China China features a series of 40 hand painted porcelain busts, as well as several pairs of legs. Xian used the faces of his family and friends to create the busts, and then employed local painters in Jingdezhen, China, to paint the busts by hand. The porcelain busts feature muted expressions as well as traditional Chinese symbols, such as flowers and dragons.[1]
Evolutionaura (2013). Evolutionaura features a series of 8 busts, similar to Xian's other art installations. In Evolutionaura, the busts are composed of metallic materials, such as bronze, and speckled in minerals from the Lingbi County in Anhui Province of China.[4]
Naturephysica (2016). Similar to Metaphysica, Naturephysica features a series of busts with objects on the heads of the busts. However, Naturephysica differs from Metaphysica in that instead of featuring objects that reference Chinese mythology or belief systems, Naturephysica features more natural objects, such as plants and animals, on the tops of the heads of the busts.[5][6]
Other exhibitions
Ah Xian has held several other art installations aside from the ones mentioned above.[7]
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