Tian Jianxin 田建新, Kidney (front) 腰子正, 2022

Tian Jianxin’s "Kidney (front)" (2022) merges classical sculptural forms with the humble, everyday object of a Chinese food aluminium box lid. The relief of a nude female body emerges sensually from the surface of the lid and is intricately integrated into its curved shape, following the contours of the object in a fluid and natural manner. This creates a seamless dialogue between the human form and the everyday object, inviting the viewer to consider the ways in which mundane items can evoke deeper, more intimate associations.

Tian Jianxin was born in Baoding, Hebei Province, China in 1994, and currently lives and works in Beijing. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sculpture from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2018 and 2022. Having been trained in classical sculpture, Tian blends the profound simplicity of Buddhist statuary, the wit of folkloric figure-making and the naturalistic objectivity of classical Western sculpture to create full-bodied forms, while making a humorous twist through his reconstruction of found everyday objects, ranging from kitchen utensils to architectural ornaments. Glimpses of the artist’s lived experience emerge from the history and traits of the altered objects, composing a myth of mundanity.

田建新的《腰子正》（2022）巧妙地融合了古典雕塑的形式与日常生活中最朴实的物件——一只中式铝制饭盒的盖子。这件作品中，裸露女性身体的浮雕柔和而感性地浮现于盖子的表面，与盖子的弧形结构精巧契合，仿佛自然而然地生长于其上。这种流畅的结合使人体形态与日常物品之间形成了一种无缝的对话，引导观者探思考如何令那些看似无聊而又寻常的物件改变姿态从而唤起更深层次、私密的情感共鸣。

田建新 1994 年生于中国河北保定，现工作生活于北京。他在 2018 年和 2022 年分别获得中央美术学院雕塑系的学士和硕士学位。在其接受的传统造型训练的影响下，他的雕塑有些或肌肉浑圆，或骨相饱满，将佛教雕像的博约、民间塑像的趣味以及西方古典雕塑的客观与写实融冶为一体。另一些则在中正平和之外，多了一丝诙谐幽默。他通过重塑日常生活中收集和拾得的厨具和建筑装饰物等现成品来表达造型和感受，在物品自身的历史和特质中注入他亲历的生活瞬间，叙述一个凡俗日常的诗意神话。