Angus Zhixin

Autobiografisch , Audiovisueel , Artistiek onderzoek

As a multidisciplinary artist, my practice spans installations, videos, paintings, and interventions. I draw upon archives, folk stories, and historical architecture to create a dialogue about the migration experience. I explore how political, historical, and metaphorical contexts shape our perceptions, delving into the subtle inaccuracies and hidden layers of human experience. At the same time, the ideal of global citizenship, framed by compliance with institutional expectations, is a central starting point for my work. I investigate the tension between personal situations and societal structures, mainly through my experiences as a migrant artist navigating bureaucratic realities (securing permits, managing lease agreements, and asserting my self-sustaining artist-entrepreneur status. ) These recent daily challenges, alongside the experience of bourgeois poverty, inform the narratives I have done.

: U R Taking the Risk.  (Project)
: U R Taking the Risk. (Project 2019-ongoing) - I initiated an artistic project about the invisible risks involved in being confined in 2019. The requirements of the immigration department, as set by my residence permit, forbade me from leaving the country for half a year. The Dutch culture funding offered support for my travel and site research, covering the entire length of the Netherlands mainland border, using a combination of car, bus, bike, and foot. I documented the entire journey on social media and videos, recalling each moment while awaiting the new permission. #https://www.instagram.com/angus_nonex/
: U R taking the risk—Hap6 (Trailer, 2021) - I am working on a film called HAP6, a Chinese word “?,” in Cantonese pronunciation, which started from a story about the no man’s land. I am making a film that takes a painterly approach to connect a fragmented narrative.
If we were the same in 1827 (screen shot, 2021) - Moving image(no sound) along the Netherland/Belgium border canal Gent-Terneuzen, around 20min
: U R taking the risk—A “correct” measurement (presentation in Prospects 2021)
: U R taking the risk—A “correct” measurement (presentation in Prospects 2021) - While exploring the Belgian enclave cities within the Netherlands, Baarle-Nassau (NL) and Baarle-Hertog (BE), I uncovered discrepancies between my field measurements and the archives concerning measuring numbers intended for estimating the national boundary length. Within this installation, a pair of tapes is designated for accurate measurements. One tape displayed '7.50m' despite being a 20m tape, while another indicated '20m' on a 7.50m tape. Surprisingly, both tapes measured the same actual length, approximately 5.5-6m.
Gent-Terneuzen (Project 2021-2023)
Gent-Terneuzen (Project 2021-2023) - In an effort to establish a more secure legal residence in a different EU country, separate from the one where my current living permission is issued. I have engaged in a weekly commute between Ghent and Sas van Gent along the Gent-Terneuzen canal for nearly six months, relying on my trusty bike. This routine not only bolsters my sense of security but also provides substantial proof for the forthcoming visa review, facilitated by the convenient accessibility of AMT in these border towns. To underscore my continuous presence in the Netherlands and mitigate potential risks tied to my visa status, I have exclusively utilized Dutch cash to cover my activities in Belgium. Even after successfully obtaining the new permission, I find myself with a surplus of 20 euros, a testament to the efficacy(temporary) of this cross-border lifestyle.
Magnetic field, 2021
Magnetic field, 2021 - At Leopoldskazerne (a former East Flemish military building), I discovered a hidden chimney concealed behind layers of wall paint and stucco. After carefully cleaning it, I collected the carbon-rich powder and transformed it into ink, and oil. With these, I wrote "maps" of the national borders between Belgium and the Netherlands, noting the places that I have stepped over the past five years. The gaps between each sheet of paper represent a canal, a man-made waterway.
The Barn, (2024, installation view at the De Moeren space of Vincent van GoghHuis),
The Barn, (2024, installation view at the De Moeren space of Vincent van GoghHuis), - My project was based in a Flemish barn in De Moeren near Zundert. I researched the architectural style of Flemish barns on-site, their historical ties to the NL-BE national border, and potential connections to the painter Van Gogh. However, my efforts to uncover Vincent's links with the barn were unsuccessful; any similarities appeared to be attributable solely to their shared geographical region. Despite this setback, I gained valuable insights into this barn. My research introduced me to new Dutch terminology such as "Fundering," "Landhuis," "Poer," "Vlaamse Schuur," "Slof," "Telmerken," "Turf," and "Teken." These terms will be beneficial as I make 8 pieces of sculpture, and prepare for a more challenging "Inburgering" process.

Prisencolinensinainciusol

Datum:
Locatie: Brussel
In samenwerking met: Skinny Dipping x ZSenne Art Lab

F**klore expo

Datum:
Locatie: Kortrijk
In samenwerking met: Abby Kortrijk Museum
https://www.abbykortrijk.be/

Artcontest

Datum:
Locatie: Brussels

From Barn to sTable

Datum:
Locatie: StadsGalerij
In samenwerking met: StadsGalerij x Vincent van GoghHuis
https://www.liao-zhixin.com/barn-to-stable#0

Borderland project x Greylight Projects

Datum:
Locatie: Heerlen
https://greylightprojects.org/zhixin-angus-liao/

With Permission from the officer

Datum:
Locatie: Amsterdam
In samenwerking met: Salim Bayri, Kimball Gunnar Holth, Donglai Meng, Clementine Edwards, Rotem Stern, Ottokaji Iroke, Lucy Cordes Engelman, and Nokukhanya Langa.

For the exhibition With Permission From the Officer has invited artists who currently face or have gone through similar situations with the IND to copy a landscape from the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. The first artist selected a photo and copied the image. Each successive artist copied the resulting artwork using their own interpretation in the following order. In this way, a game of “telephone” creates its own visual trajectory from the Dutch border into different aspects of art and life.

https://airwg.nl/with-permission-from-the-officer-by-zhixin-liao

Prospects

Datum:

The HISKAFFAIR

Datum:
https://hisk.edu/events/the-hisk-affair

2020 无主之地-U R Taking the risk (Solo Exhibition)

Datum:
Locatie: AN-Gallery

Painting solo exhibition

Opened the window

Datum:
Locatie: Amsterdam
In samenwerking met: WGAIR

The open studio will feature a series of images and a video about the material I collected along the way. During the self-quarantine period I used the materials I had access to; the fabric works are made from my former roommate's bed sheets, extending from the room where I have been living, out the window, to the edge of the property. The small objects in the containers were found when I was roaming the border, and I tried to restore them as they should be.

https://airwg.nl/window-was-opened

After Translation

Datum:

Sensibility and suspicion have made me realize that I have an inaccurate perception of what communication, culture and art are in Western society. I extracted this inaccuracy concept from images, news, conversation and facts from daily life. I’m using and combining it in my practice as an artist through a humorous and alternative way. Therefore, in my work ideas of hiding and shelter, copy and specification, hoarding and consuming are referred to, but with them, comes falsehoods and illusions.

Deze kunstenaar heeft nog geen toekenningen.