Jian Jun Xi, China/United Kingdom

Lives and works in London and Beijing.

Jian Jun Xi (JJ Xi 奚建军) is a prominent Chinese artist working between China and the United Kingdom. He graduated from the Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1986 and later earned a degree from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 1995. Known for his multidisciplinary approach, Xi’s work spans performance, installation, sculpture, and painting, through which he explores complex cultural, political, and philosophical themes.

One of his most infamous and provocative actions took place at Tate Modern in 2000, when he and fellow artist Cai Yuan urinated on Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain—a gesture intended as a bold commentary on the history of art and institutional critique.
Xi’s practice fuses body, ready-made objects, and symbolic language to interrogate power structures, classical narratives, and myths of globalization, bridging Eastern and Western cultural discourses. His work often centers on “the loss of the individual within the system,” offering a poetic yet critical reflection on contemporary political and cultural conditions.

From radical early performances to the metaphorical storytelling in his more recent installations, Xi continues to challenge conventions and provoke dialogue. Recent exhibitions include AR VIVA at Venice Riva Dei Giardini, The Fly Stone at the Chengdu Biennale, and Blueprinting for Ruins at the White Rabbit Gallery in Sydney.
He has received numerous accolades, including the Jackson Pollock Art Prize (2006), the title of “Most Influential Artist” by Phoenix Art (2015), and the Public Choice Award at NordArt in Germany (2019).
Jian Jun Xi, Kina/Storbritannien