Bronze sculpture Edition: 6/7

89.5×40×23 cm. 35 1/4×15 3/4×9 in.

Signed in Chinese, numbered and dated on the base
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the artist

The Lightness of Being, The Heaviness of Giving
Xiang Jing's Sculptures: "I Think" and "I Exist"

Xiang Jing, born in 1968 in Beijing, is celebrated as one of China's foremost female sculptors. Raised in a literary family, her mother was a literary editor, and her father was a film studio director, exposing her to the arts from an early age. She attended the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Secondary School, then admitted to CAFA's Sculpture Department in 1990, graduating with an award-winning piece that was later collected by the academy. Xiang's work is known for its profound social commentary and exploration of female identity. In 2010, her sculpture fetched 6.275 million RMB at auction, setting a record for Chinese sculpture sales at the time. Seven years later, her large-scale retrospective opened at the Long Museum, marking the museum's first solo exhibition by a female artist. Her works are part of collections at Hong Kong M+ Museum, CAFA, Today Art Museum, and the Long Museum in Shanghai, among others.

In society, gifts transcend material exchange, representing emotional, power, and identity interactions. Her Gift series of bronze sculptures emerged at the turn of the millennium, featuring silent, contemplative female figures. These seemingly fragile forms conceal intense emotional tension and attitude. The piece Gift II, presented in this Autumn auction, stands as an early representative work.

Mirror of the Self: Giving and Expectation

In this work, a slender woman raises her right hand, holding nothing, in a gesture of giving, as if attempting to externalize some intangible part of herself as a gift, yet unable to fully control the process. This conveys how modern society expects continuous giving, often beyond one's control over how it will be received or interpreted. It also speaks to the invisible sacrifices and contributions of women within the family. The green colour of her clothing symbolizes both new beginnings and a certain naivety, suggesting that our lives are a journey of learning and growth through giving and receiving.

The woman's empty, outstretched hand evokes Michelangelo's Creation of Adam, where God's finger is about to touch Adam, symbolizing the gift of life and the subtle distance between the human and the divine. Similarly, the girl is at a delicate moment, offering an invisible gift—perhaps her inner self, will, or even her very being. In this instant, she is not an active giver but a passive one, with a profound sense of alienation, hinting at the delicate balance between giving and receiving in the context of self-expression and societal expectations.

Price estimate:
HKD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 10,300 – 15,400

Auction Result:
HKD: 96,000