The First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Xu Jiang was born in 1955 in Fuzhou, China. From 1978 to 1982 he studied at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art, Hangzhou, and in 1988-89 was Artist-in-Residence at the Hamburg Art Academy, Germany. Xu Jiang has worked for the Fujian Association for Writers and Artists and is currently employed at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art. During his Residency inGermany Xu Jiang held solo exhibitions in Hamburg and Cologne. He has exhibited in group exhibitions includ­ ing 'Young Chinese Artists', SaarbrOcken National Art Gallery, Germany, 1990; 'Contem­ porary Young Sculptors Invitation Exhibition', Hangzhou, 1992; and 'Chinese Contemporary Art Archive Exhibition', Guangzhou, 1992. Xu Jiang's work is represented in the collection of the In Faust Gallery, Hamburg. In 1989 Xu Jiang: From Drawing to Design was published by the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art's Press. Xu Jiang is an oil painter. In 1989 hebegan to use installation as an alternative form of expression. He chose Chinese chess (qi) as the subject of his future series of works. The Chinese chess board and chess pieces give form to his subject. The Book of Changes (Zhou Yi) is the inspiration behind the 'Chess' series. CHINA XU JIANG In constructing his game, he applies Eastern philosophic thought to concepts such as life and culture, time and space.Within his work the individual chess pieces do not have an independent symbolic value. The never­ ending game of chess is the ultimate mean­ ing that he seeks to convey. When two forces of equal but different strength, such as blatant warfare and veiled struggle, confront one another the battle is endless for there can be no resolution. It is like life and death and death and regener­ ation which are part of an endless and contradictory life cycle. 'It is not possible to replace one kind of force with another's attempts at coercion ...' Xu Jiang continues: '... What is important are the moves and processes within the game and the tactical tensions between the various stages of the game'. In the oil paintings that Xu Jiang produced at the same time as the Chess installation, concepts of 'deconstruction' and 'reconstruc­ tion' feature prominently. This confirms that he is not interested in fixed outcomes. Each game of chess solidifies only momentarily. It has the appearance of completeness yet there is unlimited scope for the continuation of movements. The audience is lured to join 63 Yi-changes (from 'Chess' seMes) 1991 Installation comprising rice paper, wire 200x200x200cm Collection: The artist in. For Xu Jiang the chess game allows him to raise questionswithout providing answers. Li Xu