Almine Rech is pleased to present Ji Xin's first solo show with the gallery,
on view from January 7 to February 4, 2023.
With his large portraits of evanescent women, depicted in graceful, timeless and undulating states between Baudelairean spleen and a somewhat more eastern meditative feel, Ji Xin reates paintings unlike any other artist of his generation.
The formats here are imposing, although the artist has on occasion produced even larger canvases confronting the viewer with almost life-size models, endowed with deformed limbs à la Ingres and, in some, enlarged eyes à la Modigliani. His elegant models appear in equally elegant Art Deco interiors; they are essentially feminine, confronting their moods with actual or imaginary reflections. The pared down colours play with each other in a pastel or ochre palette of solid surfaces. These pieces may feature a form of peaceful, serene mystery, but do not deliberately seek to reference art history modernism as the first glance may suggest. Not to mention direct references - painters always admire those who have enriched their work - for Ji Xin, they are essentially Italian Renaissance.
- Marie Maertens, writer and critic