As a pioneering form of expression in the spectrum of contemporary art, performance art has always accomplished its spiritual breakthrough in the midst of controversy. In a specific historical context, this kind of art practice using the body as a medium has been systematically misinterpreted and reduced to a cultural anomaly of claptrap.
As a practitioner, Yin Xiaolong was also caught in the mist of recognizing the essence of performance art – those early creations, although using the body narrative as an ideogram, actually carried heavy questions about reality. In Yin Xiaolong’s performance art creations, he has always adhered to the core understanding that the presence of an artist necessarily involves a diagnosis of the times. His works are often driven by social criticism, from creators to social sensors, reflecting the dialog between the artist’s personal perspective and public issues through his behavior.
“NIGHT SCHOOL NY INSIGHT” Vol. 53
WHAT DID I DO WITH PERFORMANCE ART?
Lecture: Xiaolong Yin
Host：Jody Huang
March 29th, 2025 (Sat) 19:30-21:30
Sponsor: UP-ON Performance Art Archive
Xiaolong Yin
Mr. Shanghe, Jinan City, Shandong Province, is a man who studied at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and now lives and works in Shenzhen and Kunming.
He studied at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and now lives and works in Shenzhen and Kunming, where he spent nearly three years after 2001 trekking across two-thirds of China, visiting the customs, humanities, and natural landscapes of the places he visited, and opening a travelogue column in Qilu Evening News and other newspapers.
In July 2011, he was invited to hold a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt, Germany: “Ink – living”, an exhibition of Xiaolong Yin’s art.
His work extends from easel painting to conceptual and performative art, and is an ongoing reflection of a personal identity embedded in the contemporary era. In his performance series, he interprets the concepts of the individual and society, explores his thoughts as an individual at the crossroads of human globalization, and uses the media of easel painting, mixed media, conceptual art, performance, installation, and video as a means of engaging in dialogue with the “world”. Yin Xiaolong is currently a professional artist, an independent curator, and a social observer.
《 Wenchuan! Wenchuan! 》 2008
《 Lei Feng 》 2012/03/05
《 Christmas 》 2014
