Xu Hongfei 許鴻飛
Early Years, Academic Education & Influences
Xu Hongfei was born in Yangjiang City, Guangdong Province, China in 1963. He graduated from the sculpture department of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 1990 and is currently the Dean of the Guangzhou Sculpture Institute.
Since 1999, he has created the Chubby Women sculptures, depicting them in various perspectives and different mediums.
His works explore the ingenious union of clumsiness in wisdom, dexterity in heaviness, form sense and human resonance through the sharp contrast between heavy bodies and light-hearted souls. His works also relieve people's souls from stress with inspiring tension stimulated from exaggerated but precise unique shapes.
Xu Hongfei has been influenced by Shi Tao, citing that his paintings give him infinite imagination. The sculptor Rodin also influenced him, with his ability to depict the human psyche.
Aesthetics
In the course of Western and Chinese art, a set of philosophical mechanisms have been used to explore the aesthetics of the human body. Xu Hongfei’s Chubby Women sculptures uses the female body to explore social and aesthetic concerns. By challenging the canons of beauty, the artist elicits a discussion regarding the aesthetics of the female form. This interdisciplinary approach emphasizes how Xu’s artworks are elaborately clothed in inference and meaning, making them culturally significant.
These sculptures do not depict a real overweight woman, but they are actually works of art produced through spiritualization. Even though many of the works in this exhibition are nude, they do not have an uncomfortable tone. This is because they represent Xu’s ideology, concept, judgement and intellectual thought. This walks more or less deliberately in line with the Neo-Kantian view, which suggests how “the aesthetic world can be constituted only by separating form and desire”. Xu’s female figures should not be judged as living organisms, but as artworks which represent his ideas.
Art that Frees the Soul
Xu once expressed that an artist should stay true to himself and create art that frees the soul. His artworks reflect this idea as they are an absolute internalization in the form of conscious and free personality. Instead of leaning toward emotional restraint and coolness, his figures are energetic and passionate. By creating artworks that free the soul, Xu’s sculptures become relatable to people of different cultures and backgrounds.
Challenging Society’s Beauty Standards
The Chubby Women sculptures also reveal Xu’s beliefs about society in an aesthetic form. They represent the artist’s desire to break free from an outdated mould. In Chinese history and culture, being overweight is associated with unattractiveness. Women who are lean or athletic are considered the benchmark for being beautiful. By making his Chubby Women figures independent subjects, the artist is questioning the consecrated standards of beauty. Instead of depicting the overweight figures as unworthy, the artist makes his figures cheerful, active, comical and strong.
This fleshy representation of the female form can be found in Western art history. European masters like Titian, William Etty, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres often portrayed the female form as plump or curvaceous. Like Boisserees, Xu finds meaning in past Western art that is relevant to the present. By doing so and creating the Chubby Women sculptures, he is able to broaden the Chinese vision of beauty.
World Tour
The Chubby Women sculptures have been well-received since the beginning. Since 2013, Xu has been promoting his Chubby Women series, eliminating barriers of language and social standards, to countries all around the world. The Chubby Women act as friendly ambassadors of the East, landing at iconic landmarks such as The Louvre (Paris, France), The Forbidden City (Beijing, China), Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia) and by the River Thames (London, UK), building a platform and opportunities for cultural exchange.
Exhibition History and Collector Base
In 2019, Xu held solo exhibitions at the Repin Academy of Fine Arts in Russia and Kobe, Japan. His works have also been featured in many other domestic and overseas museums and private collections, including the National Art Museum of China, Guangdong Art Museum, Jiangsu Art Museum, Zhejiang Art Museum, the Guangzhou Art Museum, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Sydney City Hall, City Council of Montepulciano, City Council of Turin, City Council of Milan, Istanbul City Council , Trent Park Equestrian Center, Expo Milano 2015, Liu Haisu Art Museum, Cusco Municipality, Peru Hamburg City Hall, Hamburg International Maritime Museum, etc.
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Absolute 絕對圓, 2019
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Riding on Sunshine 歡笑, 2019
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Pizzicato Trio 三彈音樂, 2017
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Flying Piano 飛琴, 2015
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As In Horse Racing 馬上到, 2014
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Delight 開心, 2014
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Return 回家, 2014
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Take Me to Fly 帶我飛, 2014
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Wedding Clothes 嫁衣, 2014
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Cello 大提琴, 2013
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Dance in the Heaven 一腿, 2013
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Foreshore Frolics 歡樂海岸, 2013
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Fun at the Beach 海笑, 2013
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Game of Golf 好球, 2013
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Joy 歡樂, 2013
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Skater 天輪, 2013
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Skating 溜, 2013
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A Clear Stream 清流, 2012
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Bliss 肥福, 2012
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Dance 一曲難忘, 2012
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Lofty Mountain and Flowing Water 高山流水, 2012
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Outdoor Fun 野趣, 2012
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Sweet Evening 良宵, 2012
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Chubby Horseman 肥騎, 2011
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Batter 撃球手, 2010
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Chubby Trumpet 肥號2, 2010
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Chubby Tuba 肥號, 2010
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Fly and Strike 肥騎擊鞠, 2010
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Kiss 吻, 2010
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Ready To Strike 蓄勢, 2010
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Story of Spring 春天的故事, 2010
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Stroll 信步, 2010
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Joy 歡樂, 2009
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Moonlit Lilypond 荷塘月色, 2009
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Morning Glory 大地辰光, 2009
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Outside the Window 窗外, 2009
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Summer day 夏日, 2009
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Walking Trend 潮行, 2009
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Duck Negotiation 趕鴨上架, 2008
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Rope Skipping 跳繩, 2008
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Paddle 戲水, 2007
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Spring Time 春光, 2003
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Lady Bobo Bobo女, 2002
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Fine Art Asia
Absolute 3 - 7 Oct 2019Private Preview | Thursday, 3 September, 2019 from 3:00-9:00PM (by invitation only) Vernissage | Thursday, 3 September, 2019 from 6:00-9:00PM (by invitation only) General Opening Hours | Friday 4 September,...Read more -
Absolute
27 Aug - 13 Sep 2019Galerie Ora-Ora is pleased to present our first Ora-Ora Masters show: Absolute – Xu Hongfei Solo Exhibition. The opening reception will be held from 6 pm to 8 pm on...Read more -
Winter Sunrise - A Joint Sculpture Exhibition
6 - 23 Nov 2015Each November brings Hong Kong Art Gallery Week, a week-long Arts Festival of Talks, Tours, Studio Visits, circling Art Buses touring the different art districts, Art Lates as well as...Read more -
Fine Art Asia 2015
Chubby Comedy - Xu Hongfei 4 - 7 Oct 2015With fluid, vivid poses and buxom female bodies, world renowned sculptor Xu Hongfei’s “Chubby Women” sculptures convey a sense of exquisiteness, representing the beauty of freedom and revealing the powerful...Read more
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Sculpting Liannan - Xu Hongfei
2010 Soft Cover, 156 pages
Publisher: Ora-Ora International Limited
ISBN: 9789881864833
Dimensions: 25 x 28 cm Read more -
Xu Hongfei
2009 Hard Cover, 48 pages
Publisher: Ora-Ora International Limited
ISBN: 9789221864826
Dimensions: 28.5 x 20.5 cm Read more -
Xu Hongfei
2008 Soft Cover, 24 pages
Publisher: Ora-Ora International Limited
Dimensions: 28 x 20 cm Read more -
Xu Hongfei - Chubby Women
2007 Soft Cover, 24 pages
Publisher: Ora-Ora International Limited
Dimensions: 28 x 20 cm Read more -
L'horizon - Contemporary Chinese Art
2006 Soft Cover, 24 pages
Publisher: Ora-Ora International Limited
Dimensions: 28 x 20 cm Read more