Madeln Curved Vase- Famille-Rose Olive Vase with Bat and Peach Design, Yongzheng Period, Qing Dynasty

The art of Xu Zhen plays provocatively with the notion of collision: from cultural ideologies and global histories to the act of creation and power of commerce. These central tensions relate closely to the climate of the early 2000s, a time of unparalleled economic development in China and rapid globalisation. This was the era in which Xu Zhen emerged on the contemporary international art scene as China’s representative at the 2001 Venice Biennale.

In 2009 the artist founded MadeIn, an ‘art creation company’ that knowingly echoes China’s positioning as a global centre for the manufacturing of goods while also exploring the contested terrain between commercial production and artistic authenticity. This work, along with its companion 'Blue and White Vase with Design of Figures', resembles what is often thought of as traditional Chinese porcelain but was in fact produced in vast numbers for international export. Now closely associated with Chinese ceramics, the overglaze pink and red shades that became known as 'famille rose' were imported from Europe in the late 17th century. The Chinese term for them is 'yangcai' – foreign colours.