Skip to main content
Skip to footer Skip to Acknowledgement of Country
National Gallery of Australia
What's On Art & Artists Visit
Login
  1. Home
  2. On Demand
  3. Video
  4. XU ZHEN®: ETERNITY VS EVOLUTION
Video still of artwork in exhibition.
International Art

XU ZHEN®: ETERNITY VS EVOLUTION

Published 21 July 2020

XU ZHEN® is one of China’s most significant artists and activists. His recent work centres on sculptural installations, video and performances that challenge cultural assumptions, question social taboos and comment on the idea of art as a commodity.

The exhibition includes monumental sculpture European Thousand-Armed Classical Sculpture 2014 and celebrates the international debut of "Hello" 2018–19 – a Corinthian column-like snake that watches and follows visitors as they move through the gallery.

Xu Zhen (b 1977, Shanghai) is a leading figure among China’s younger generation of artists. This is the first major solo exhibition of his work in Australia and brings together early videos with more recent works, including paintings, tapestries and monumental sculptures.

Interested in how cultural and financial value circulates around the world, Xu Zhen combines elements from many cultures, examining the effects of globalisation with often humorous or unsettling effect.

In 2009, Xu Zhen established MadeIn Company, a factory- like cultural corporation that plays on the phrase ‘Made in China’. MadeIn Company enabled Xu Zhen to increase the scale of his artistic production and curate exhibitions. In 2013, MadeIn Company launched the brand XU ZHEN®, interrogating the way in which art and artists are commodified by a contemporary global art market.

Xu Zhen’s playful approach to artmaking and reconfiguration of cultural forms reveals the preconceptions and prejudices that exist between different parts of the world. His work engages with the economic forces that shape our lives.

More from Gallery Walkthroughs


Video

Matisse & Picasso: Laurent Le Bon, President, Musée National Picasso, Paris

Video still of man speaking.

Published 16 December 2019

Video

James Turrell’s Roden Crater (Channel Nine 24.11.14)

Published 12 February 2014

Video

Rosenquist

Video still of man standing next to painting.

Published 2013

Talks & Lectures /  Video

Helen Carroll & Francesca Cubillo on Defying Empire
3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial

Video still of a car

Published 2017

Video

Abdul Abdullah 'The ambassadors'

Video still of artist speaking.

Published 15 March 2019

Talks & Lectures /  Video

Artist talk: Karla Dickens
Defying Empire: 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial

Video still of artist talking

Published 2017

  • All videos
    in Gallery Walkthroughs
  • More from International Art


    Video

    NVAEC 2019 Day 3 – Keynote: Sandra Jackson-Dumont

    Video still of lady speaking during lecture.

    Published 15 February 2019

    Audio Tour
    Talks & Lectures /  Video

    The History of Art History

    A video still of a graphic that says Botticelli to Van Gogh, Masterpieces from the National Gallery of London, The History of Art History

    Published 11 March 2021

    Professor Emerita Claire Farago and Professor Art History & Theory, Dr Rex Butler in conversation with National Gallery curator Sally Foster.

    Auslan Interpretation Closed Captions
    International Art /  Video

    Jackson Pollock's 'Blue poles'
    The conservation research project begins

    Video still of two men looking at painting.

    Published 24 June 2020

    Jackson Pollock’s Blue poles 1952 has gone under the microscope for its most comprehensive conservation project to date.

    International Art /  Video

    Toulouse-Lautrec: The Early Years

    Video still of an old black and white photograph.

    Published 20 December 2012

    International Art /  Video

    Matisse & Picasso: an introduction feat. Sydney Dance Company

    Video still of text reading “Matisse and Picasso”.

    Published 12 December 2019

    The Kenneth Tyler Collection /  Video

    Steven Sorman

    Video still of artist working in studio

    Published 2016

  • All videos
    in International Art
    All audio
    in International Art
  • Recently Added On Demand

    View all

    Prints & Drawings /  Video

    Rauschenberg & Johns: Significant Others – Curatorial Introduction

    Published 16 March 2023

    Curator David Greenhalgh introduces the exhibition 'Rauschenberg & Johns: Significant Others'

    Open Captioning
    11 minutes
    Audio

    Judith Nangala Crispin
    Assembly (The Modelled Forms)

    Image of Judith Nangala Crispin reading from a sheet of paper in front of a projection still of Assembly

    Published 20 February 2023

    Audio Tour
    10 minutes
    Talks & Lectures /  Video

    Flower Power with Saskia Havekes

    A video still of a woman surrounded by sunflowers

    Published 06 February 2023

    Celebrated floral artist Saskia Havekes discusses composition, colour and the enduring attraction of flowers in art.

    Audio Tour Closed Captions
    68 minutes
    Know My Name /  Video

    Janet Cumbrae Stewart (1883–1960)

    Published 21 December 2022

    Video excerpt from the ABC documentary 'The Exhibitionists' on Australian female artist Janet Cumbrae Stewart.

    5 minutes
    Know My Name /  Video

    Vivienne Binns (born 1940)

    Published 21 December 2022

    Video excerpt from the ABC documentary 'The Exhibitionists' on Australian female artist Vivienne Binns.

    4 minutes
    Know My Name /  Video

    Emily Kam Kngwarray (1908–1996)
    Anmatyerre people

    Published 21 December 2022

    Video excerpt from the ABC documentary 'The Exhibitionists' on Utopia artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

    4 minutes
  • On Demand Video

    Didn't find what you were looking for?

    Search On Demand
    deep coloured building by night

    Yuuma, Gurruburri

    The National Gallery acknowledges the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the Kamberri/Canberra region, and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country.

    • National Gallery On Demand
    • Art & Artists
    • What's On
    • Visit
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Jobs
    • About Us

    Connect

    +61 2 6240 6411
    information@nga.gov.au
    Get art in your inbox

    Open every day

    (except Christmas day)
    10am – 5pm

    Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country
    Parkes Place East, Parkes ACT 2600

    View Street Map
    View Gallery Map


    Contact us

    National Gallery of Australia

    Follow the National gallery of Australia on:

    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Website Privacy Website Disclaimer Website Copyright
    Opening Acknowledgment of Country

    The National Gallery acknowledges the First Peoples of this land and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country

    Learn More
    Aerial view of artist Lola Greeno walking along Rocky Beach
    Aerial view of artist Lola Greeno walking along Rocky Beach
      • View All
      • Today
      • Exhibitions
      • On tour
      • Access Programs
      • All Programs
      • On Demand
      • About the Collection
      • Sculpture Garden
      • Kenneth E. Tyler Collection
      • Provenance
      • Conservation
      • Copyright
      • Search the Collection
      • Plan Your Visit
      • Getting Here
      • Parking & Transport
      • Art Store
      • Dining
      • Visiting with Kids
      • Research Library & Archives
      • Admission tickets
      • Browse Stories
      • Browse Videos
      • Podcasts
      • Audio Tours
      • Virtual Tours
      • The Annual
      • Publications
      • Learning Programs
      • For people with access needs
      • For Teachers & Students
      • For Young People
      • For Kids & Families
      • For Adults
      • For Your Community
      • Art Cases
      • Educator Programs
      • Get Involved
      • Membership
      • Voluntary Guides
      • Partnerships
      • Support
      • Donate
    • First Nations
    • Access
    • Art Store
    • Media
    • Venue Hire
    • About Us
    • Contacts