A Newborn Sense of Scale

Introduced in 1979, China’s one-child policy was originally intended to be a temporary solution to China’s burgeoning population problem. Whereas previously it was normal for children to have four or five siblings, from this period on, couples were generally only permitted to have one child. Combined with a significant increase in living standards over the same period, there has been a marked effect on the outlook and psychology of those born after the rule was implemented.

Born in 1982, Kang Can is from one of the first only-child generations and his paintings and sculptures attempt to deal with issues relating to this mindset.

Prolonged exposure and over-familiarity can make even the most interesting things seem mundane or lackluster. Through Kang Can’s surreal juxtapositions a dialogue is created whereby everyday things and situations are rendered in a fresh light and the inherent absurdity and peculiarity of them is brought to the fore.

- Matthew J. Fox