Jiji
Panda bears: so sweet, so cuddly, so… evil? It may require a special kind of perspective to detect a malevolence lurking in pandas, but it’s one that Chinese-born artist Jiji can proudly claim to have brought to light. Since the early 2000s, when he first conceived of his triumvirate of aggrieved, afflicted and emotional bears (Evil, Wounded, Happy), they’ve been critically received as representative of the new China. With a pedigree in fine arts and industrial design, which he studied at the prestigious Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, and a passion for pop art, Jiji has created social symbols of the generation of Chinese born after 1980, in all their identity conflict. Jiji’s pandas were publicly unveiled at the exhibition “China Design Now” at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2008 and have since become a phenomenon; a recent solo show of sculpture and prints, “Hi Panda,” at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris was attended by the likes of Anna Wintour and Kanye West. In addition, Jiji has expanded his work to include streetwear brand Hi Panda, found at Harvey Nichols and Le Bon Marché. He is working on a screen-print series, and in September 2010 will participate in “Peter Pan,” a collective exhibition at Espace Louis Vuitton in Paris.
Photo by Amy He, 2009
