Sleeping life away

This work continues the style of the Manyan (which can be translated as “spreading” or “creeping”) series which Xu Zhen and his MadeIn Company started to create in 2009. Imagery including “Chinese prints, French 19th-century caricatures, medieval images and exotic bestiaries are mediated through a patchwork of sensuous materials. The collaged elements creates a chaotic image-system of conflicting values, while, overall, the canvas has a decorative quality. A mercurial artist who likes to test the boundaries where mass-production and fine-art uniqueness meet, Xu Zhen believes that contemporary art needs “decoration” as one of its manifestations. 'Sleeping life away' is like a mild but eerie decorative piece for this overloaded and unsettled visual age.