Celebrate the Year of the Sheep with a contemporary twist and discover how Chinese culture has inspired artists around the world. The Horniman Museum presents a night of cutting-edge art installations, films and performances showcasing modern Chinese culture in the UK today.
Art by Aowen Jin: Grab a UV torch and explore a secret gallery of Aowen Jin’s work. For one night only, her exhibition i18n features traditional Chinese painting, invisible to the naked eye but exposed under UV light, with the descriptions written both in Chinese and Unicode, the coding system allowing Chinese characters to be transmitted over the web.
Aowen Jin is a Chinese-born British artist and social commentator. Named by The Times as “one of tomorrow’s great artists”, her artworks have been collected by Her Majesty the Queen and the Horniman Museum among other high profile organisations and individuals. She works between China and Britain.
Aowen was eighteen when she left China for Britain, and as the obedient ‘only child’ she initially studied Law and Economics at Durham University. Student life encouraged her to express her individuality and creativity, and it did not take long for her to rediscover her childhood passion for art.
While studying her fine art degree at Goldsmith’s College, Aowen was offered many important commissions. One was selected for Her Majesty’s Eightieth Birthday and now resides in The Queen’s private collection. During this time she also became the youngest and first foreign art teacher at Holloway Prison, the largest female prison in Europe.
After graduating in 2006, Aowen travelled extensively around the world before deciding to focus on China. The speed of change in China fascinates the world, and through her works Aowen hopes to offer a unique perspective on the country’s rapidly evolving culture and people. Her exhibitions are frequently covered in the press, from Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 to The Times, who named her “one of tomorrow’s great artists”. Recently, she has also started to produce works that tell stories of contemporary Western lives and culture.
With her unique understanding of both Chinese and Western culture, Aowen is regularly an insightful social commentator for current affairs organisations such as the BBC, CCTV and Al Jazeera. She also acts as an investment consultant for banks and corporations, helping them to maximise their cultural potential in China. This has lead her to co-found the creative tech startup Chicmi – an app which helps shoppers in both the UK and China to find their way around London’s diverse fashion scene.
Aowen is passionate about passing on her knowledge to others in both China and Britain. She frequently offers mentoring sessions and talks in universities to inspire younger generations and to give them the insights into creative and tech industries. She is keen to share her experiences and inspire others to achieve greatness in their lives.
Aowen Jin -The Horniman Museum, Named i18n, opening on the 26th of February.