Asia
Yu Ji
Flesh in Stone - Ghost No.1
2018
Flesh in Stone - Ghost No. 1, 2018
Flesh in Stone – Ghost No. 1 is a stunning series of cement made body parts in various scales and movements, along with components such as iron and plaster molds to emphasize their tension. The “incompleteness” of Flesh in Stone weakens the figurative image itself, thus shifting the viewer’s focus onto the relationship between the rough material and the ideal rounded body shapes. This work is a striking metaphor of individualization, confinement, control and voluntary bondage in contemporary China and beyond.
Yu Ji is a precise artist with multiple preoccupations, references, and interests; she comes from a long tradition of erudite, polymath approaches to art making. She is very much involved with the broader community, having run one of the crucial artist-run spaces in Mainland China for many years. Graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the Fine Art College of Shanghai University, Yu Ji also received a master degree. She is known for the diversity of her practice, dealing chiefly with sculptures and installations along with performances and videos. Her long-term interest has been an ongoing investigation into specific loci that are charged with geographical and historical narratives. She frequently conducts field research and is keen on creating bodily interventions in different sites.