ART021 Shanghai Nov 10 - Nov 13, 2016

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de Sarthe Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Wang Xin at ART021's 2016, entitled Welcome to the Art World. The exhibition is a literal playground of interactive metaphors and symbols.

Featuring a giant hamster wheel for humans, artists acting as bar tenders, a barricaded entrance, and a virtual reality headset that transports users to an alternate reality, Wang Xin's installations assert a commentary that is both comical and dystopian. The gleeful joy of participants excitedly waiting their turn to spin in the bright-pink hamster wheel clashes poignantly with the notion that monotony of spinning the wheel is a metaphor for the education needed to be a successful artist. The barricades preventing visitors from entering the booth sides adds an additional layer of commentary as they reference the exclusivity and elitism that affects much of the art world, seen in events like VIP vernissages at Art Fairs or private previews of gallery shows.

As a certified hypnotist Wang Xin's artwork exudes a mesmerizing energy that is utilized to generate powerful emotional responses, often intentionally contradicting the logical and rational metaphors within her work. Through this clash of emotion and reason, her practice contributes a form of black humor that has come to characterize the outlook of many creative in China.

Wang Xin is a Chinese new media artist living and working in Shanghai. She graduated with a BFA from the China Academy of Art in 2007 and earned her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011. She has been the subject of solo exhibitions across China, such as "Every Artist Should Have A Solo Show," de Sarthe Gallery, Beijing, China (2016) and"8 HZ Hypnosis Lab," MoCA Pavilion, Shanghai, China (2015). Her work has been exhibited internationally in recent group museum exhibitions including, "Take Me Out," chi K11 Art Museum, Shanghai, China (2016):"The 2nd "CAFAM Future" Exhibition: Observer - Creator," CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China (2015); "Now You See: New Chinese Video Art from the Collection of Dr. Michael I. Jacobs," Whitebox Art Center, New York, USA (2014); "Chinese Visual Festival," Anatomy Theater & Museum, King's College, London, UK (2014) and "The Garden of Forking Paths - Exploring Independent Animation,"OCAT, Shanghai, China (2013).