Wei Yi 魏艺, Wu Xiaoshuan from Childhood, Larger Than Life, 2010, Oil on Canvas

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Description

Original unique larger than life painting by chinese social artist wei yi

artist: wei yi (魏艺)

title: wu xiaoshuan … Read more Original unique larger than life painting by chinese social artist wei yi

artist: wei yi (魏艺)

title: wu xiaoshuan (吴小栓)
series: childhood (tóngnián, 童年)

dimensions: 200 x 80 cm
year: february 2010
medium: oil on canvas

signature: signed and dated "2010.2", bottom right

condition: excellent condition

provenance: private collection, italy
accompanied by a certificate of authenticity

important note for collectors:

this artwork is part of the complete, historically significant childhood (tóngnián) collection.
we currently possess the entire set of eleven original, unique pieces (5 sculptures and 6 oil paintings).
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the artist

based first in shanghai then in suzhou, wei yi (魏艺) achieved critical acclaim in the late 2000s and early 2010s for his monumental paintings and impressive sculptures. His work serves as a fearless investigation into the dark underbelly of a rapidly developing china, exposing deeply censored social crises including pediatric aids, prostitution, systemic poverty, and drug addiction.a dedicated documentary filmmaker as well, wei yi utilised his lens to capture the raw, unvarnished realities of those forgotten by modern progress.
because of his fierce reluctance to look the other way or succumb to state censorship, he paid a severe personal price and was jailed several times by authorities. Since the mid-2010s, it has been impossible to contact the artist through normal channels, and his current whereabouts remain strictly undisclosed.

the series

the childhood (tóngnián, 童年) series is a profoundly moving, cohesive collection comprising five unique sculptures and six oil on canvas paintings, each meticulously dedicated to an individual child. Grounded in arthur schopenhauer’s premise that early indoctrination can firmly plant even the most obvious absurdities in a young mind, dissident chinese artist wei yi explores the hidden psychological costs of systemic conditioning in a rapidly modernising nation.

rather than focusing on the children's superficial beauty—the modern fruit of material abundance—wei yi captures their interior landscapes. His subjects are well-nourished on the outside by humble parents who survived historical scarcity and for whom food remains life's primary meaning. Yet, the artist peers past this physical comfort to reveal a deeper spiritual starvation. Through their lost gazes, wei yi exposes the silent struggle of small souls frantically clawing to break free from blind institutional compliance.

by calling each child by their specific name, wei yi offers a final token to reawaken their stolen individuality and unique essence. He listened to their thoughts and captured the fragile flutters of their hearts within the vacuum of rigid state conformity. Ultimately, these eleven pieces frame this new generation not as passive products of a secular, state-worshiping morality, but as a visceral hope for future defiance. They represent a universal necessity for rebellion against corporate greed and institutional subjection, standing as a powerful reminder that we must teach children they have the fundamental human right to say "no"—both in china and across the world.

the artwork

wu xiaoshuan (吴小栓) serves as a chilling and unforgettable culmination of the painterly narrative within wei yi’s childhood series.

standing completely isolated against an impenetrable black background, a young boy is illuminated in sharp chiaroscuro light, dressed in a heavy, contemporary hooded winter jacket, jeans, and sneakers. In a striking and deeply symbolic gesture, he holds a large, cold bone with raw meat clinging to it upright in his hands, clutching it like a solemn, primitive scepter or a musical instrument he is forced to play. His face is caught in a disturbing, prematurely hardened expression—his eyes narrow and intense, casting a localised, confrontational gaze directly at the viewer.

through this visceral composition, wei yi masterfully encapsulates the core tragedy of the series: a child physically armoured by modern material abundance, yet psychologically burdened by the survivalist indoctrination of the state and ancestors, encapsulating a soul in a state of quiet, tense resistance against systemic conformity. This piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
issues arising from misattribution See less