Blindspot Gallery is proud to present “Existential Emptiness”, Cui Xiuwen’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong featuring her latest series -­ Existential Emptiness. Existential Emptiness is Cui’s latest series since she released her series, Angel, in 2006. This showcase traces the development in Cui's self-­exploration and artistic expression of the female experience in today's China.

Existential Emptiness is a continuation of Cui's previous renowned series One Day in 2004 and Angel, in which these series illustrate the progression of the artist's perspective and experience of women from their physical to spiritual status, in order to present the growth of women at different stages in China. Cui’s “girl” protagonist has always been considered as the artist’s alter ego in her works, and the use of this alter ego has been extended to her new series.

Existential Emptiness is a set of manipulation of digital photographic images, the monochromic snow scene where the artist captured in Northern China reminiscent of traditional Chinese ink painting. Cui's protagonist from her previous series re‐appeared in this series, she is now slightly older yet still in school uniform and is accompanied by a life­‐size doll that looks alike her. The reappearance of the protagonist in this series suggests a development of the artist’s alter ego in probing the question rooted in the deeper layers of the artist’s mind. The doll implicates the duality of body and soul; as a burden and a shield to the girl at the same time. The relations of the girl and the doll seem to suggest the artist’s confrontation with her female identity and present the pain borne by women in Today’s China.

Apart from select images of Existential Emptiness, an iconic image from her previous series One Day in 2004 will also be on view.

Prior to this solo exhibition, Cui Xiuwen had a solo exhibition at Today Art Museum in Beijing in late 2010. Her work has been widely exhibited at prestigious galleries and museums, such as Tate Modern and Victoria & Albert Museum, and is also collected by Centre Pompidou, Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, and National Art Museum of China. She is also one of the first Chinese artists exhibited at Tate Modern.

Cui Xiuwen will be present at the opening reception. Interviews with the artist are welcomed and can be arranged.

About Cui Xiuwen
One of the most renowned artists in contemporary art in China, Cui Xiuwen graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1996. Cui's artistic career began with painting and evolved to include video works in the early 2000's, and her works presented a pointed exploration of the new sexuality in China. Since 2004, Cui has turned to photographic assemblages in an intriguing mix of digital manipulation, traditional motifs in both Western and Chinese arts and her singular aesthetics.

Opening Reception: Friday, 28 January 2011, 6:30 to 8:30pm