Cang Xin 蒼鑫

Interpretation

Only showing the bottom of his face, Cang Xin 蒼鑫 captures himself licking a series of things: a glass sphere, a bronze artifact, a portrait of the Chinese chieftain and military strategist Nurhaci (1558–1626), and three wooden seals. 

Cang began his four-part Communication Series in 1995, in the wake of the Chinese government’s response to his radical artistic practice. During that period of isolation and anxiety, he suddenly felt the strong urge to lick everything around him as an alternative way to communicate. In his series, he focused on objects that relate directly to Chinese culture. 

Acquisition note

Art collector Larry Warsh began acquiring contemporary Chinese photography in the 1990s—a pivotal time for the medium in China. In 2024, he gave the RISD Museum 26 works by Chinese artists active in the 1990s and early 2000s, including these works and the photograph by Sheng Qi 盛奇 at the entrance to this gallery. These are the first examples of contemporary Chinese photography to enter the RISD Museum’s collection. Administrative support for Warsh’s gift was generously provided by RISD alum and donor Mark Pollack.

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