^{Jian Jun Xi ( JJ Xi )

Identity

Contemporary conceptual, Installation, Sculpture, Painting and performance artist

Based in

Primarily London, UK and Beijing/Shanghai, China; active between China and the UK.

Background

• Born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China; trained at the Central Academy of Arts and Design (now Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design).

• Moved to the UK in the late 1980s and studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, University of London, where his tutors included Sir Michael Craig-Martin.

• Based in London long-term, he is an active promoter of cultural exchange between East and West.

Main Artistic Characteristics

1. Conceptual and Performance Art

Uses the body and actions to intervene in classic artworks or public spaces, creating confrontation and dialogue between art and the public.

Famous actions include urinating into Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain at Tate Britain and jumping on Tracey Emin’s My Bed.

He became known for his interaction with the Young British Artists (YBA) circle.

2. Continuation of the Duchampian Tradition

Reconstructs “ready-made” and “everyday” objects.

Notably, he reinterprets Duchamp’s Fountain (urinal) by transforming it into limited-edition porcelain works that fuse Chinese ceramic tradition with Western classical symbols (such as the Urinal and Meiping Figure series, collected by the White Rabbit Gallery in Sydney).

Themes focus on “the collision of Eastern and Western aesthetics,” “the tension between tradition and contemporary art,” and “the boundary between artwork and commodity.”

3. Cross-Cultural Bridge

Actively promotes the Silk Road Cultural Project, connecting Jingdezhen in China with Worcester in the UK to explore the history of porcelain, trade, and globalization.

He often incorporates personal family histories, heraldic symbols and emblems into his work, forming a dialogue between private narrative and global cultural history.

Selected Representative Works / Actions

•Empire — installation work collected by the White Rabbit Gallery in Australia; recent ceramic urinal editions collected by European institutions and private collectors.

•Enlightenment & Celebration – Live Action — Gothenburg, Sweden, 2025.

• Early performances at Tate Britain and around the UK Europe and Asia Parliament in London, challenging institutional norms and the boundaries of art.

Influence and Position

• Often referred to as “an Eastern performance artist carrying forward Duchamp’s legacy.”

• His practice spans radical performance art as well as refined material works in sculpture, installation, painting, and porcelain.

• Recipient of the Jackson Pollock Artist Award, NordArt German Art Prize, and China Phoenix Art Award.

• Founder of institutions such as the UK Chinese Art Association and the Silk Road Museum, promoting cultural exchange between China and the UK.}

^{奚建军 | Jian Jun Xi (JJ Xi)

身份：当代观念艺术与行为艺术家

活动地：英国伦敦及中国北京上海为主，跨中英两地。

背景：

出生于中国江苏南通，早年考入中央工艺美术学院（现清华美院）训练。

1980年代末来到英国，就读伦敦 Goldsmiths College（伦敦大学金史密斯学院）艺术专业，导师包括 Sir Michael Craig-Martin。

长期在伦敦发展，是中西文化交流的积极推动者。}^{主要艺术特色

观念与行为艺术

以身体、行为介入经典艺术作品或公共空间，制造艺术与公众的冲突与对话。

著名行为：在泰特美术馆—杜尚（Marcel Duchamp)的小便噐上潵尿和跳上翠西·艾敏（Tracey Emin）作品“床”等作品，并与YBA 圈层有互动而知名。

2, 杜尚传统的延续

多次以“现成品”与“日常物”进行再造。

特别是将杜尚的《泉》（Fountain，尿盆）转化为中国传统陶瓷与西方精典符号
结合推出限量作品（如“Urinal”及“梅瓶人物”系列，被悉尼白兔美术馆收藏）。

主题聚焦在“东西方审美的碰撞”“传统与当代的张力”“艺术品与商品的边界”。

3. 跨文化桥梁

积极推动“丝绸之路文化项目”，连接景德镇与英国伍斯特（Worcester），探讨瓷器、贸易与全球化历史。

也常把个人家族、历史符号、徽章等纳入作品中，形成私人叙事与全球文化史的交叉。}

部分代表性作品 / 行为

《Empire》装置被澳州白兔美术馆收藏，近期的系列陶瓷（尿盆作品）被欧洲艺术机构及私人收藏。

《Enlightenment & Celebration — Live Action》（瑞典哥德堡，2025）

早期行为：在伦敦泰特美术馆和英国国会大厦周边进行身体介入表演（挑战制度与艺术边界）。

影响与地位

他常被称为“延续杜尚精神的东方行动艺术家”。

作品既有激进的行为艺术，塑，装置和绘画也有精致的瓷器物质作品。

获Jackson Pollck艺术家奖，德国北方艺术奖及中国凤凰艺术奖。

同时担任英国华人艺术协会、丝绸之路美术馆等机构的发起人或负责人，推动中英文化交流。

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