Yin Xin
Body Parts, Eyes, 1994
Acrylic on canvas
41 x 33 cm
Yin Xin, a painter hailing from China's far-western province of Xinxiang, was just seven years old when the Cultural Revolution commenced in his homeland. This tumultuous period left an indelible...
Yin Xin, a painter hailing from China's far-western province of Xinxiang, was just seven years old when the Cultural Revolution commenced in his homeland. This tumultuous period left an indelible mark on the young artist, prompting him to reject the constraints of social realism—a style enforced during his time at Art College. While his peers delved into propaganda graphic art, Yin Xin plotted his escape into expressionism, disillusioned by the endless still lives and rigid conventions of his education. He pursued formal education at Xinjiang Normal University of Fine Arts before teaching there for two years. Further studies took him to the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Art, where he honed his craft and developed his distinct style.
By portraying human conditions through exposed body parts, Yin Xin’s Body Parts series confronts the theme of "cannibalism" in a deeply personal and direct manner. This concept resonates with Lu Xun’s depiction of society in modern Chinese literature, where "people eating people (這是一個人吃人的社會 – 魯迅,狂人日記)" becomes a powerful metaphor for the cruelty and dehumanization embedded in Chinese society—both historically and potentially in the present. The numbed expressions and hollow eyes of the figures, set against a gloomy and oppressive background, reveal Yin Xin’s critical observation of the Cultural Revolution. Through this unsettling visual language, the artist exposes the psychological trauma and moral decay endured by individuals in times of political and social upheaval.
His works have also been included in the exhibition 'Botticelli Reimagined' held at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) which ran in 2016. It explored the enduring impact of the Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli from the Pre-Raphaelites up to today.
By portraying human conditions through exposed body parts, Yin Xin’s Body Parts series confronts the theme of "cannibalism" in a deeply personal and direct manner. This concept resonates with Lu Xun’s depiction of society in modern Chinese literature, where "people eating people (這是一個人吃人的社會 – 魯迅,狂人日記)" becomes a powerful metaphor for the cruelty and dehumanization embedded in Chinese society—both historically and potentially in the present. The numbed expressions and hollow eyes of the figures, set against a gloomy and oppressive background, reveal Yin Xin’s critical observation of the Cultural Revolution. Through this unsettling visual language, the artist exposes the psychological trauma and moral decay endured by individuals in times of political and social upheaval.
His works have also been included in the exhibition 'Botticelli Reimagined' held at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) which ran in 2016. It explored the enduring impact of the Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli from the Pre-Raphaelites up to today.