Aowen Jin

Aowen Jin
Born Aowen Jin
Luoyang, China
Residence Welling, Kent
Nationality British
Alma mater Goldsmiths, University of London
Occupation artist
Known for British Chinese artist and social commentator
Website https://www.jinaowen.com/

Aowen Jin is a Chinese-born British artist and social commentator.

Early life

Aowen Jin was born in Luoyang, Henan in China. She moved to the United Kingdom as a student when she was 18, and initially studied Law & Economics at Durham University. After rediscovering a passion for art she switched to studying Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London.[1][2] During her degree she was commissioned to produce painting works for British Prime Minister Tony Blair and for Queen Elizabeth II's 80th Birthday,[3][4] and was named by both Dazed & Confused magazine and The Times Magazine as one of the UK's top emerging artists.[5] Aowen was part of Goldsmith's graduate exhibition at Free Range Shows in 2006, titled 'Textile Collective'.[6]

One Child Policy Exhibition

In 2010, Aowen interviewed 300 Chinese women for her "Made in China: One Child" exhibition, which was exhibited in London and at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. The exhibition explored both positive and negative impacts of China's One Child Policy, especially on the first generation of women born under the policy. The show created extensive discussion about the policy in the British press, including on BBC Impact Asia,[7] BBC China,[8] BBC Woman's Hour,[1][9] Stylist and The Times.[5]

Social Commentating

Following the One Child Policy exhibition, Aowen became a regular social commentator on issues related to Chinese women, including on Al Jazeera,[10] China Daily[11] and various programmes for the BBC.[5] In October 2013 she was asked to review the Chinese Masters exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum for the flagship BBC arts show, Front Row.[12] In 2013 she was one of the 100 women selected for the BBC's 100 Women Conference,[13] and in 2014 was asked to present a contribution for UNESCO's World Radio Day.[14]

In addition to commentating for media organisations, Aowen also provides Chinese cultural consultancy to investment banks and corporations.[15][16]

Factory Girls Exhibition

From 2012 to 2013, Aowen lived undercover with factory workers in Southern China's Guangdong, and worked with them to create performance art for her 2013 Factory Girls exhibition.[17] The exhibition compared the modern perception of China's female factory workers to their day-to-day reality, and was covered by BBC Outlook,[18] BBC Weekend, BBC Chinese and Ms Magazine.[5] The exhibition was also accompanied by a documentary about China's factory girls, featuring Martin Jacques and Leslie T. Chang.[19]

In March 2014 Aowen was asked to present her Factory Girls exhibition at the Southbank Centre's Women of The World Festival.[20]

Sound Fountain

In 2013, Aowen was commissioned by Goldsmiths, University of London to produce an artwork for the first official visit of British Chancellor George Osborne and London Mayor Boris Johnson to Beijing.[21][22] For the commission she produced a live "Sound Fountain", made of common British garden equipment, which danced to sounds that were transmitted live from various locations around London.[23] The artwork was exhibited in Beijing's 798 Art Zone.

Light Artworks

In early 2015, Aowen announced that she would be creating an permanent exhibit called i18n at the Horniman Museum, launching in February 2015, made up of invisible paintings that could only be seen under UV light.[24][25] On announcing the exhibition at the museum she said: "The founder of the museum had the most extensive collection of Chinese tea artifacts in the world. He tried to bring Chinese culture and lives back to Britain through objects and steam ships. I will try bring them to the local community by using gods and technology."[26]

Following this project, Aowen was commissioned by Birmingham Hippodrome[27] and Arts Council England to use artworks to engage with Birmingham's Chinese community.[28][29] Her artwork, named Midlight, was an interactive light show that reacted to sound and posts on Twitter.[30][31] It was exhibited at Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Cathedral,[32] and Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum[33][34] in late 2015, culminating in a Chinese New Year show at the Cathedral in February 2016.[35]

In 2016 it was announced that Aowen was selected for that year's Museums at Night project, where a new light artwork would be shown in a UK museum chosen by the public.[36][37]

References

  1. 1 2 "Artist Aowen Jin on Radio 4 "Woman's Hour"". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Aowen Jin – Biography".
  3. ↑ "Goldsmiths student commissions for Tony Blair and the Queen". Goldsmiths.
  4. ↑ "贺英女王80寿辰 英国华夏文化协会赠万针绣". Xinhua. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Aowen Jin – Press". Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Free Range Shows | Textile Collective". Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Aowen Jin on BBC Impact Asia". Vimeo.
  8. ↑ "视频：女画家的独生子女画展". BBC. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "Woman's Hour". BBC.
  10. ↑ "China's one-child legacy revisited". Al Jazeera.
  11. ↑ "Why Western men prefer 'yellow fever'". China Daily.
  12. ↑ "Earth, Wind and Fire; From Here to Eternity, Chinese paintings; Sir Anthony Caro". BBC.
  13. ↑ "100 Women: Who Took Part?". BBC.
  14. ↑ "2014年世界无线电日". UNESCO.
  15. ↑ "Aowen Jin Presents Ink Paintings Only Visible Under UV Light". Artlyst.
  16. ↑ "About Chicmi". Chicmi.
  17. ↑ "Made in China: Factory Girls". NEE HAO. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "Outlook 11/09/2013". BBC.
  19. ↑ "Factory Girls Documentary". YouTube.
  20. ↑ "Artists & Speakers: Aowen Jin". Women of the World Festival.
  21. ↑ "London Mayor attends education exhibit at Beijing art district". Sino-US.
  22. ↑ "London Mayor Boris Johnson launches london.cn in Beijing". CCTV.
  23. ↑ "London Mayor Boris Johnson launches london.cn in Beijing". ECNS.
  24. ↑ "Aowen Jin Presents Ink Paintings Only Visible Under UV Light". ArtLyst.
  25. ↑ "Aowen Jin's Horniman Museum UV Art Launch". Neehao.
  26. ↑ "i18n". Aowen Jin.
  27. ↑ "Midlight at Birmingham Hippodrome". Birmingham Hippodrome.
  28. ↑ "Birmingham Hippodrome & British-Chinese Artist Aowen Jin Partnering for New Exhibit 'Midlight'". Broadway World.
  29. ↑ "Interactive Rainbows Color a Fiber Optic Garden". VICE Magazine.
  30. ↑ "Candid talks to light-installation artist Aowen Jin". Candid Magazine.
  31. ↑ "Midlight Interactive Light Artwork". Midlight.
  32. ↑ "Midlight". Birmingham Cathedral.
  33. ↑ "Midlight Interactive Light Display". Millennium Point.
  34. ↑ "Midlight". Created in Birmingham.
  35. ↑ "Art Show Brings Communities Together Insider Birmingham Cathedral For Chinese New Year". Brumhour.
  36. ↑ "Five leading artists to be put to public vote as venues compete for Museums at Night's Connect! initiative". Culture24.
  37. ↑ "Aowen Jin". Museums At Night.
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