yin xiuzhen exhibition at anna schwartz gallery, sydney

‘portable city: melbourne’, 2009 by yin xiuzhen
suitcase, used clothes, magnifying glass, map, sound, light
courtesy the artist & anna schwartz gallery

chinese artist yin xiuzhen uses old clothing and textiles to create intricate works that examine the political, social, historical, environmental, and human constructs that surround her. one of her most famous works to date is the ‘portable city’ series – cloth construction in suitcases of major cities.

for her current exhibition at anna schwartz gallery she has constructed three new suitcase works; ‘portable city: melbourne’, ‘portable city: jia yu guan’ and portable city: shenzen’. ‘portable city: melbourne’ is based on yin’s experience of living in the city (for three months). the suitcase includes buildings that make up the city centre such as the national gallery of victoria, the eureka tower, federation square as well as flinders st station.

‘portable city: melbourne’, 2009 by yin xiuzhen
suitcase, used clothes, magnifying glass, map, sound, light
courtesy the artist & anna schwartz gallery

‘portable city: jia yu guan’, 2009 by yin xiuzhen
suitcase, used clothes, magnifying glass, map, sound, light
courtesy the artist & anna schwartz gallery

‘jia yu guan’ is a very personal suitcase as the chinese silk road city is where her father was forced to work during the 1970’s when yin was a child.

‘portable city: jia yu guan’, 2009 by yin xiuzhen
suitcase, used clothes, magnifying glass, map, sound, light
courtesy the artist & anna schwartz gallery

‘portable city: shenzen’, 2008 by yin xiuzhen
suitcase, used clothes, magnifying glass, map, sound, light
courtesy the artist & anna schwartz gallery

the shenzhen suitcase reflects yin’s interest in broader social and environmental issues. it is a portrait of a city representative of the new industrialised china. shenzhen, once a small fishing village, is now a huge and growing mega-city, created over the last thirty years.

yin xiuzhen – installation view
anna schwartz gallery sydney, 2009
courtesy the artist & anna schwartz gallery