Wang Jin (b. 1962) Untitled, 2005 Polyvinyl chloride with nylon fishing line 79 x 71 x 15 inches (200.7 x 180.3 x 38.1 cm) Inscribed on the left edge: Wang / Jin Dated on the right edge: 2005 PROVENANCE: Private collection, New York. NOTE: Wang Jin is a photographer, sculptor, painter, installation artist and performance artist. After graduating from the China Academy of Fine Arts in 1987 with a focus on traditional Chinese painting, he worked at the Beijing Institute of Clothing as a drawing instructor but later quit to focus on his art. Wang Jin has created a series of ancient Chinese outfits that capture the ephemeral visual poetry of a time gone by. Wang Jin's "Dream of China" sculpture, for example, reproduces a traditional Chinese dragon robe in the Qing dynasty court style using the industrial materials PVC and nylon fishing thread. The embroidered waves, clouds, and dragons tint the translucent robe with green hues. With the sleeves outstretched as if supported by invisible limbs, the robe appears hauntingly ethereal. Wang Jin dismantles the imperial prestige and power normally associated with this garment and transforms it into something elusive and exquisite. Wang Jin imbues iconic Chinese imagery with new meaning and critique in response to the consumerism and industrialization that has spread across China since the early 1990s. HID03101242017