Song Dong & Yin Xiuzhen

each signed in Chinese and Pinyin, titled in Chinese and English and dated 2006 on the reverse, framed

Chambers Fine Art, New York/Beijing
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Netherlands, Amsterdam, Christie's non-selling exhibition; Amstelveen, Canvas International Art; Amsterdam, Artesia; Den Bosch, Vanderven & Vanderven Oriental Art; Utrecht, Mees Pierson Private Banking Office; Heerlen, DSM Head Office; France, Bordeaux, Chateau Palmer, East Asia Fine Arts Collections, 2007, 2008, 2013 (exhibition titles variable)

Chinese Contemporary Art, Chambers Fine Art, New York, Beijing, 2007, p. 36

(i) This work is in good condition. There is hairline cobweb craquelures throughout with the most obvious being in the upper left edge. (ii) This work is in good condition with very minor scuff marks to the upper right area which is inherent to original execution method. There is minor craquelure to the upper centre which is 30 cm apart from left edge. Please note that they were not examined under ultraviolet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The current diptych is a witty, cryptic and thought-provoking collaborative artwork by Beijing-based husband-and-wife artist duo Yin Xiuzhen and Song Dong. Born in 1966 in Beijing, Song graduated from the oil painting department of the Capital Normal University in 1989 and developed a conceptual practice spanning photography, installation, video and performance. Yin Xiuzhen, also a leading conceptual artist in the Chinese contemporary art scene, was born in Beijing in 1988 and graduated from the same department and university as Song. The pair pursued solo careers for a few years before creating their first collaborative works in 2002 as a celebration of their 10th anniversary. The present work, featuring two horizontal canvases depicting dense mists of slightly varying tones of grey, alludes to the omnipresent billboards of a rapidly urbanizing Beijing as well as the city’s infamous air pollution. The subtitle-esque texts, meanwhile, suggest the aesthetics of film stills, pronouncing evocative slogans cleverly appropriated from that of a New York subway company. The ambiguous and unexpectedly poetic warnings respond to the visual image of dense mist, which enshrouds the unknown, portrayed in the canvases, as well as to a broader social psyche of distrust, anxiety and caution.