A leading female sculptor and figure in Chinese contemporary art, Yin
Xiuzhen (b. 1963, Beijing, China) began her career in the early 1990s
following her graduation from Capital Normal University in Beijing where
she received a B.A. from the Fine Arts Department in 1989. Best known
for her works that incorporate second-hand objects, Yin 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 artist explains, "In a rapidly changing China, 'memory' seems to
vanish more quickly than everything else. That's why preserving memory
has become an alternative way of life."