BOOK:Yin Xiuzhen, Phaidon Publications

Best known for her works that incorporate second-hand objects, Yin Xiuzhen uses her artwork to explore modern issues of globalization and homogenization. By utilizing recycled materials such as sculptural documents of memory, she seeks to personalize objects and allude to the lives of specific individuals, which are often neglected in the drive toward excessive urbanization, rapid modern development and the growing global economy. The monograph “Yin Xiuzhen” by Phaidon Publications comprises of five sections. In Interview, Hou Hanru discusses the artist’s influences and motivations, and the dramatic changes that affected contemporary Chinese art over the past two decades. Survey offers a deep insight into the historical context in which Yin’s work developed, from painting to her public actions in the streets of Beijing and the second-hand clothes sculptures that would eventually become her signature pieces. In Focus Stephanie Rosenthal analyses “Collective Subconscious” (2007), a minivan that the artist stretched out and converted into a place for conversation and discussion. For the Studio Visit, Yin’s practice is documented by fellow artist and partner Song Dong. Artist’s Writings include a selection of Yin’s previously unpublished texts as well as a conversation with Song Dong and Lilly Wei.-Dimitris Lempesis