Artist
Xue Song “Landscape – Cola”
Distinguished international contemporary artist Xue Song is not only one of the iconic figures of contemporary pop art in China but also the earliest resident artist of Moganshan Art District in Shanghai. His meticulousness and insistence in pursuing a specific style makes him an important personage in the Neo-Shanghai school of art in China. CASABELLA is honored to invite renowned international contemporary artist Xue Song to create the artwork “Landscape – Cola”, where Chinese landscape painting is presented on the Coca-Cola bottle by paving Swarovski crystals. The fusion of Eastern and Western cultural elements is used to portray the brand new image of Coca-Cola through deconstruction and reconstruction.
Inspiration: “East and West, Deconstruction and Reconstruction”
Coca-Cola is the most emblematic foreign merchandize amid the backdrop of globalization; its foreign cultural symbol is matched with the traditional landscape of Chinese local culture. The marriage exemplifies a fusion of harmony and conflict, solemnness and mockery as well as somberness and irony. Such combination generates a powerful visual impact. Within the profound Chinese culture, the new image of Coca-Cola encompasses, deconstructs and stimulates new visual vigor.
Polishing
The cast mold is polished by hand in preparation for the setting procedure. If the result is not satisfactory, the settings will be polished again depending on the situation at hand.
Setting
Each crystal requires its own setting, which is tapped one at a time by hand. The size of each setting is determined through precise calculation, therefore the drill bit must be changed frequently.
Coloring
In order to present the lines of the landscape painting flawlessly, Xue Song has employed his proprietary pearl paint, which must be carefully formulated using measuring cup and electronic scale.
Paving
Each sparkling crystal is paved individually by hand. In total, more than 80,000 Swarovski crystals were utilized for “Landscape – Cola”.
Artist Xue Song
Born in Anhui, China in 1965, Xue Song now resides in Shanghai, and he is one of the most important artists in Chinese avant-garde Chinese art as well as an iconic figure of contemporary pop art in China. Xue Song’s works are always endowed with a critique of inherent introspection and self-insight and he is also the earliest resident artist of Moganshan Art District in Shanghai. Moreover, he is considered an influential personage in the Neo-Shanghai school of art in China. Xue Song’s creations date back to the 80s, where his repugnance towards traditional painting propelled him to search for an expression technique with greater freedom.
Xue Song’s works are seen in several important international exhibitions such as 9th Florence Biennale, Venice Biennale, 32nd/39th Art Basel in Switzerland, Miami Biennale in the US, The Ueno Royal Museum solo exhibition, Shanghai Art Fair solo exhibition etc. Furthermore, his creations are collected by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Kunstmuseum Bonn in Germany, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Shanghai Art Museum, Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation in Switzerland, Coca-Cola Asia Pacific Headquarters, JP Morgan Chase Asia Pacific Headquarters and UBS etc.
From a cultural point of view, Xue Song’s creations are always endowed with a critique of inherent introspection and self-insight, and they often experience the process of “regeneration” as they are liberated form their existing meaning to reflect the idea of seeking innovation within tradition. By combining historic recollection, contemporary reality, traditional culture and modern perspective, he has endowed the artworks with new understanding, in turn sparking interactions with the audience. From material selection, firing to the intricate handcrafting process, they serve to liberate an object from its existing form and meaning. Painting is his interpretation of such philosophy and it bears an inexplicit connection to the former.
As far as creative technique is concerned, Xue Song’s works often feature rich, complex backgrounds collaged from small pieces of burnt pictures. The charred pictures are obtained from various magazines or books, and the foreground usually consists of a picture that occupies the entire frame such as great historic figures, newspaper photographs or Chinese landscape painting etc. Xue Song selects the most common and widely recognized images so they are readily recognizable by the audience. The pictures were once shared, owned and used repeatedly by many people, therefore they require no further elaboration. Xue Song processes these images in his unique approach so that their original symbolic meaning is relativized to produce new meaning. Consequently, art critics have dubbed him the contemporary pop artist with the most profound Chinese cultural demeanor.
Selected Solo Exhibition
| 2011 | “piercing through history and the fashions” A retrospective from 1988 to 2011 Xue Song Solo exhibition Shanghai Art Museum,China |
| 2010 | “A Fashion,or the History? xue song solo exhibition” The Ueno Royal Museum Tokyo,Japan |
| 2009 | To Review is to Learn Something New:, Xue Song Solo Exhibition, ShanghART at Huaihai Rd 796, Shanghai “Xue Song solo exhibition” Shanghai Art Musemu |
| 2008 | “A Tale of Our Modern Time—Xue Song Solo Exhibition” Kwai Fung Hin,Hong Kong,China Xuesong solo exhibition，Chinese Contemporary Art Gallery，New York ,American |
| 2007 | Xuesong solo exhibition, Dimensions Art center ,China Beijing Xuesong solo exhibition, Art China,Hamburg,Germany |
| 2006 | Xuesong solo exhibition, Dimensions Art center ,China Beijing Xuesong solo exhibition, Shanghart gallery, Shanghai |
| 2005 | Xue Song Solo Show, Chinese Contemporary Art Gallery, London, UK |
| 2003 | Xue Song New Works, The Scenery and Fashion of Today, ShanghART, Shanghai Xue Song works exhibition,The Media Center of Audi |
| 2002 | Ver Da Ga - Xue Song 2002 Fashion Series, ShanghART, Shanghai |
| 2001 | Xue Song Solo Show, Chinese Contemporary Art Gallery, London, UK |
| 2000 | Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, ShanghART, Shanghai |
| 1999 | Xue Song, Chinese Contemporary, London, UK Xue Song,Art 50, Cosco Building/Novotel Atlantis hotel,Shanghai |
| 1996 | Xue Song Solo Exhibition, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai,China |
| 1992 | Paintings by Xue Song, British Embassy, Beijing |
Selected Group Exhibitions
| 2014 | New Cultural Identity—An Exhibition Of Chinese Contemporary Art China Cultural Centre In Sydney Sydnty Australia |
| 2013 | Ethics as the DNA Art—the 9th Florence Biebbale Florence Italia |
| 2012 | “Taste of the East” Shanghai Art Museum HK Art Fair In history----contemporary Art Invitation Exhibition of China ,ShenZhen Art Museum ,June “Vision--- contemporary Art Invitation Exhibition of China Shanghai zhangjiang Art Museum |
| 2010 | Summer Group Exhibition,Shangart Gallery at NO.796 in Huaihai Rd.Shanghai ‘Art Fair in HK’ Hongkong(May) Photo Exhibition of Contemporary Artists,Today Art Museum,Beijing ‘New Landscape, New Ink’ Leisure art space , Taibei,Taiwan,(June) ‘Prose, Chinese character:The impression of Chinese Character art’,Today Art Museum,Beijing(Sep) |
| 2009 | Beijing-Havana Nueva revolucion del arte contemporany china Museo Nacional de bellas artes |
| 2009 | Art Fair in HongKong Group Exhibition,Shangart Gallery,Shanghai, Speechless,Ren Art Center,Beijing Another Site---Art programs,Concepts and ideas.Shangart H hall,Shanghai Fan---Art Literature Center,Wuhan Normal---2009 Art Works Exhibition,Art Literature Center,Wuhan On the paper---Group Exhibition at Shangart,Shangart Gallery at No.796 in Huaihai Rd. Review and Exploration---Collect Exhibition of Art Literratue Center,Wuhan |
| 2008 | “New Chinese Contemporary” Melvin Art Museum Florida Amercian “Masters” Exhibition for the 2nd Anniversary of Z-art Center’s Opening Zhangjiang Art Museum China,Shanghai “lovely blossoms and full moon”----YuZ Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art YuZ Art Museum Jakarta,Indonesia “Hypallage—The post-Modern Mode of Chinese Contemporary Art” The OCT Art Design gallery, Shenzhen,China “39 Art Basel “ Basel, Switzerland China New Vision---La collezione d’arte contemporance dal Museo d’Art di Shanghai La Spezia,CAMeC “Beijing- Athens: Contemporary Art from China” Exhibition ，Athens, Greece “The world of thers” Museum of Contemporary Art .Shanghai ‘Miscellaneous,Mix,Co,Species’,Shangart Gallery at No.796Huaihai Rd,Shanghai New Signature in Art----Chapter 2 for Special Opening Exhibition,Confidant Gallery,Shanghai |
| 2008 | Contemporary Art Exhibition of Beijing black bridge,Hall B of Beijing Black Bridge,Beijing |
| 2007 | “Chinese Contemporary Socart”,Tretyakov Gallrey,Moscow “Escapc by Crafty Scheme:Language Rescue form the Tradition ahd Revolution’,Square Gallery of Contemporary Art,Nanjing,China “The Seven Plateaus”, Ming Art Gallery,Beijing,China “Shanghai Carries On”, Bunkamura Gallery,Tokyo,Japan ‘Dry in the sun’Shangart Gallery,Shanghai ‘Individual atitude’,Shangart Gallery,Shanghai |
| 2006 | “Reshaping Art 2006” Liu Haisu Art Museum, Shanghai,China Z-art Center Opening center . Shanghai,China |
| 2006 | An AUTUMN OF Opportunism Wuhan,China |
| 2005 | “Restriction and Freedom”Art Literature Center,WuHan,China ‘Alien and Phantom’Shanghai Art Museum,Shanghai,China ‘Mahjong’Bern Art Museum,Switzerland 85 tribute 2005-1985,Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art When they are 40 years old,Shangart H hall,Shanghai ‘Orient---Modern Art in China,Madrid,Spain Awakening: La France Mandarine The French Influence on Chinese Art, Chinese Art museum |
| 2004 | Dreaming of the dragon’s nation contemporary Art exhibition Ireland Art Musemu |
| 2003 | “Have a seat”,Yisi Gallery,Shanghai,China |
| 2002 | “Have a look”,Shangai,Zhejiang,Jiangsu Anhui Contemporary Art Exhibition, Consulate General of Switzerland,Shanghai Metaphysics 2002, at Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai Ost + West – Ausstellung fur 4 die Zietgen & ouml; ssische Kunst aus China, at K/haus, Vienna, Austria Ground Zero Material Art Invitational exhibition at Han Sheng Shan Art Centre, Shanghai and Art Museum of China Central Art Institue, Beijing Wind aus Shanghai – Kunst der Gegenwart aus Shanghai at Architekur Centrum Post an Stephansplatz, Sortierhalle, Hamburg, Germany Chinart at Museum Kuppersmuhle Sammlung Grothe, Germany and Museo Arts Contemporanea di Roma, Italy |
| 2001 | Metaphysics 2001, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai AS long as they catch mice.., Munkeruphus Gallery, Danmark Crossing Over, Walsh Gallery, USA 32 Art Basel,Basel Switzerland Initial Image, Yibo Gallery, Shanghai |
| 2000 | Chicago Art Fair, Chicago, USA Shanghai 2000, Walsh Gallery, Chicago, USA Shanghai Art Fair, Shanghai Transcending Boundaries, MSU Art Gallery, Montclair State University, USA Futuroe Chinese Contemporary Art, Macau |
| 1999 | Towards Materialism and That Sort of Beauty, Huadong Teachers ‘s College Gallery, Shanghai New Idea of China Art Exhibition, Shanghai BM99, Bienal da Maya, Maya, Portugal Fortune Global Forum Contemporary Art Exhibit, Jinmao Bldg. Shanghai China 46, Contemporary Chinese Art, Shanghai, Taipei, Melbourne, Australia |
| 1998 | Green Dog & Masters, Chinese Contemporary, London, UK Chinesen Sehen Alle Gleich Aus, AAN Gallery, Berlin, Germany China! , Touring Exhibition, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany |
| 1997 | One Country, Two Perspectives, Reunification 1997. Interpretations, Hong Kong People’s Life in Big City, Shanghai ‘97 Chinese Contemporary Art, Yang Huang Art Museum, Beijing China! , Touring Exhibition, Artist’s House, Vienna, Austria; Charlottenburg Exhibition Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark; Zacheta Modern Art Mudrum, Warsaw, Poland |
| 1996 | China! , Touring Exhibition, Kunstmuseum, Bonn, Germany Beijing International Art Expo’, Beijing International Exhibition Centre, Beijing 96’ Chinese Modern Art Exhibition, Beijing |
| 1994 | Annual Exhibition, Huadong Teachers University |
| 1993 | Fourth Exhibition of Young Shanghai Artists, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai Chinese Oil Paintings Biannual Exhibition, National Art Museum, Beijing |
| 1989 | Second Exhibition of Young Shanghai Artists, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai |
| 1987 | Young Artists from Shanghai and Australia, Armidale Art Museum, Australia |
