Jiang Shuo

Born in 1958 in Beijing, Jiang Shuo studied sculpture at the Central Academy of Arts and Design, which is now under Tsinghua University. As the first female sculptor in China, Jiang Shuo completed her master degree in 1985 and started her career in teaching sculpture at the Central Academy until 1989. With her husband Wu Shaoxiang, they migrated to Austria and worked at their joint studio there. Her works have been widely exhibited around the world, especially in Europe.

Her latest works present the Red Guard Series of small delicate sculptures cast in the ancient lost wax technique. Each sculpture is an original and not an edition, from her expression; she bears witness to the irony of her generation’s situation within Chinese society, straddling the extremes of revolution economic development.

The Red Guards work follows in her folk art style but with the injection of a political theme to grab people’s attention. The almost faceless guards with their wide-open mouths recall the period of turmoil in China when the spouting of slogans and mindless indoctrination was the path to survival. The sarcasm continues for the materilization that these red guards criticized during the Revolution, have now become their goals, to be pursued today. Portrayed with modern and material icons such as cola cans, french fries, mobile phones, the guards have now engaged in trade and could hardly withstand the indubitable influence of popular culture. While examining that cultural juxtaposition faced by her generation, she has challenged herself as a sculptress to work with variations of scale and technique in order to enable her practice and fulfill her vision.

Education
1978-1982 Studied sculpture at the Central Academy of Arts & Design (which is now named the Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University), Beijing, China
1982-1985 Pursued postgraduate studies (as first women in China) under Professor Zheng Ke at the Central Academy of Arts & Design, Beijing, China

Exhibition

2008 – Solo Exhibition – IMAGE & CONCEPT – JIANG SHUO & WU SHAOXIANG SCULPTURE EXHIBITION , Indonesia National Museum
2008 – ArtSingapore 2008
2008 – ArtBeijing 2008
2008 – ArtTaipei 2008
2007 – Image and Concepts, Jiang Shuo and Wu Shaoxiang exhibition at Songzhuang Museum, Beijing, China
Shanghai Art Fair 2007, Shanghai, China
Jiang Shuo: Monument of Time, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong
ARTSingapore 2007, The Contemporary Asian Art Fair, Singapore
Art Beijing 2007, Beijing, China
China International Gallery Exposition 2007, Beijing, China
2006 – Chase! Selected Sculpture Exhibition by Jiang Shuo & Wu Shao Xiang, Linda Gallery, Jakarta and Singapore
China International Gallery Exposition (CIGE) 2006, Beijing World Trade Centre
2005 – Individual exhibition, Red Guards Today, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong
2004 – Individual exhibition, Red Guards, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong
2003 – Group exhibition, organized by Plum Blossoms Gallery at The International Asian Art Fair, New York City, New York, USA
2002 – Group exhibition, First International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Austria, Hüttenberg Exhibition Center, Austria
2001 – Individual exhibition, Sculpting, AAI Gallery, Vienna, Austria Joint exhibition with Wu Shaoxiang, Schloss Wolfsberg, Wolfsberg, Austria
2000 – Group exhibition, Hundred Years of Chinese Art, China Guardian Auctions, Beijing, China
1999 – Group exhibition, Salzburg Art Fair, Salzburg, Austria
Joint exhibition with Wu Shaoxiang, Gallery Dida, Graz, Austria
1998 – Group exhibition, the International Contemporary Art Fair, Palace Degli Affari, Florence, Italy
Individual exhibition, City Hall, St. Veit, Austria
1997 – Individual exhibition, Central Gallery, Graz, Austria
1996 – Joint exhibition with Wu Shaoxiang, Gallery Dida, Graz, Austria
1995 – Group exhibition, Gallery Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
1994 – Group exhibition by the Austrian Art Association, City Gallery,Klagenfurt Austria
1993 – The Spirit of Times, Gallery Hinteregger, St. Pölten, Austria
Individual exhibition, Europe House, Klagenfurt, Austria
1992 – Joint exhibition with Wu Shaoxiang, Culture House, Klagenfurt, Austria
Joint exhibition with Wu Shaoxiang, Gallery Nemenz, Judenberg, Austria
1991 – Joint exhibition with Wu Shaoxiang, Gallery Akzent K, Stuttgart, Germany
Joint exhibition with Wu Shaoxiang, Raiffeisen Bank, Klagenfurt, Austria
1990 – International Art Exhibition, Stadtgarten Gallery, Norden, Germany
Group Exhibition, the International Art Centre, Velden, Austria
1988 – China National Exhibition of Fine Arts, China National Museum of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
1987 – Today’s Fine Arts in China, Toronto Exhibition Hall, Canada
1986 – Photo Exhibition of Prize-Winning Sculptures, China National Museum of fine Arts, Beijing, China
1985 – Individual exhibition, Central Academy of Arts & Design, Beijing, China
1984 – First National Urban Sculpture Exhibition, China National Museum of fine Arts, Beijing, China
1982 – The Central Academy of Arts & Design Exhibition, China National Museum of fine Arts, Beijing, China

Selected Commissions and Collections

2006 – Lion Rider, Art Museum Hong Kong
2005 – Red Guards, Art Museum Hong Kong
2004 – Red Guards- Going Forward! Making Money!, Langham Place Hotel, Hong Kong
2000 – Christ, St. Margareten City, Austria
1996 – Ancient Vase, Hong Kong New World Development, Hong Kong
Enjoyable Life, County Attendant Centre, Moosburg, Austria
1995 – Sculpture for Kärtner Landesversicherung, Austria
1993 – Designed trophies for Evolution Club, Ferlach, Austria
1992 – Hand (Fountain), Köck Villa, Velden, Austria
1991 – Designed trophies for Advertising Award
1991 – Antenne Austria, Austria
1989 – Designed trophies for The Chinese Film Festival, Beijing, China
Fisherman, Mi Yun Power Supply Bureau, Beijing, China
1988 – Designed trophies for the Ten Best Enterprises of China
1987 – Summer, regarded as one of the best sculptures in China
Spirit of the Drunken City, 10 meters high, Qioatou Square, Luzhou, china
1984 – Designed trophies for the best film of Culture Ministry of China
Summer, Binghe Garden, Beijing China
The Sea of Knowledge, The Central University of finance and Economics, Beijing, China
1983 – Designed trophies for the best film of Culture Ministry of China
1982 – Designed trophies for the best film of Culture Ministry of China

Major Publications

2006 – Chase! Selected Sculpture Collection by Jiang Shuo and Wu Shao Xiang
2005 – Red Guards Today, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong
2004 – Red Guards, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong
2000 – Jiang Shuo Sculpture, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, Austria
1991 – Selected Works by Jiang Shuo, Bauer Publishing House, Austria
1989 – Sculpture, People’s Liberation Army Publishing House, Beijing, China
1987 – Sculpting Skill, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, China