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sinokultur invites you to visit the solo exhibition Being... of Swiss-Chinese artist Ying Xu at Coin Coin in Zurich on Saturday, March 15 from 11am to 12 pm.
The artist Ying Xu and the curator Maria Richner will guide us through the exhibition.
Ying Xu’s exhibition Being... is a profound exploration of the nuanced layers of life, identity, and the human condition. Through delicately rendered works on paper and transformed everyday objects, Xu reflects on the intimate roles we inhabit. These themes are expressed with sensitivity and depth, inviting the viewer to engage with the often-overlooked facets of existence.
The exhibition’s key visual, a tenderly rendered watercolor, encapsulates the central themes of Being.... In it, a hand grips a sheer stocking—a seemingly simple act that transforms into a powerful metaphor for the fragile balance between control and vulnerability. The tension in the stretched fabric speaks to the invisible pressures women navigate daily, while the stocking, a symbol of femininity, evokes the quiet resilience required to balance societal expectations with personal identity.
Beyond the paintings, Xu transforms found objects—mirrors, cutlery, clothing—into striking assemblages and collages that reimagine the ordinary. These everyday items, imbued with history and function, are elevated into art objects that resonate with themes of temporality, identity, and connection. Her practice meditates on the interplay between body, mind, and space, bringing together the tangible and intangible in a way that bridges the personal and collective.
Born in 1975 in Shanghai, and raised in Beijing, Ying Xu received her training at the Fine Arts School in Beijing from 1990 to 1994, where she studied traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, printing techniques, calligraphy, graphics, and sculpture. She subsequently passed the entrance examination of the renowned Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing where she continued to study painting until 1998. In 2005, Xu married a Swiss from Schaffhausen, and in 2011, moved to Feuerthalen, Switzerland with him and their two children.
The exhibition is curated by Maria Richner. Maria is an art consultant and curator based in Zurich. She focuses on the Swiss, Chinese and Russian contemporary art market.
The tour will be held in English. The ticket includes the tour and a coffee or Prosecco afterwards.
Location: Ernst-Nobs-Platz 1, 8004 Zürich (Coin Coin)
For tickets click here.