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Jiang
Jie Artist Statemtent "Babies are the starting point of my artwork", states Chinese artist Jiang-Jie. Being a Chinese woman of child-bearing age, this is not surprising. The Chinese one-child policy, started in 1956, was an ambitious population control program that used propaganda, social pressure, and in some cases, coercion to influence its citizens. The government rewarded those who observed the policy and penalized those who did not. Couples with only one child were given a "certificate"- entitling them to such benefits as cash bonuses, longer maternity leave, better child-care, and preferential housing. In return they would pledge not to have more children. Naturally babies themselves become a symbol for this controversial program. "My
first work, exhibited in 1994, called Breakable Objects, revealed the
fragile condition of infants… pure, innocent, fragile, vulnerable
and unable to self-defend. The work at the Toronto Sculpture Garden,
entitled BE went a little bit further, combining a baby's face
and an adult's smile." This critical juxtaposition implies something
beyond a child's experience, suggesting a universality that transcends
the limitations of age. In BE the baby's face expresses inquisitive
hope and yearning for the future and a palpable sense of puzzlement
and fear. " Babies have things they won't say and we adults couldn't
understand." Jiang
Jie, BE , 2001; Fibreglass,
200 cm x 160 cm x 130 cm (without base)
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