Serpentine Visions of Renewal: Contemporary Chinese Art in the Year of the Snake

Jia Aili’s Untitled (Snow Mountain) juxtaposes grand natural forms with human vulnerability, conveying a stark yet majestic landscape, where snow-covered peaks suggest endurance and resilience. Inspired by his journey along the Yunnan-Tibet Highway, Jia observed how 'the higher I got, the simpler and clearer they became... they perfectly manifested the principle of entropy or even the way our universe moves.' The snake’s ability to thrive in diverse terrains is reflected in this imagery, underscoring its symbolic connection to adaptability and resonating with the snake's traditional role as a mediator between earth and heaven. Chen Wei’s Glass Lake, meanwhile, presents a meditation on stillness and reflection, capturing an ethereal scene where light dances across a glassy surface, evoking the snake’s fluidity and its association with water—an element tied to adaptability and introspection in Chinese mythology. The work invites viewers to pause, mirroring the snake’s deliberate movements as it navigates its environment. 

Ai Weiwei’s Guardian reimagines traditional Chinese motifs through contemporary techniques. In Chinese mythology, the snake holds a unique position as 'xiaolong' (little dragon), embodying both wisdom and renewal. This duality finds expression in Weiwei's work where traditional red and gold colors symbolize both good fortune and revolution. It encapsulates Weiwei’s artistic philosophy - the belief that tradition must be actively engaged with and reinterpreted rather than simply preserved. The guardian figure, traditionally a protective deity in Chinese culture, becomes a complex symbol of both cultural preservation and resistance under Ai's treatment. Ai’s work bridges past and present, embodying the zodiac’s enduring relevance.

In Zhou Chunya’s Peach Blossom Story, vibrant hues and dynamic brushstrokes celebrate renewal and vitality. The artist's interests in the natural world emerges in his treatment of the peach blossoms, which he encountered near Chengdu. 'I do love things with strong vitality,' Zhou explains, 'I was much impressed by the sea of pink peach blossoms full of a primitive life force'The peach blossom, a traditional emblem of spring and new beginnings, complements the snake’s cyclical shedding of its skin—a metaphor for growth and reinvention. Zhou’s expressive style imbues the work with life, echoing the energy of this year.

A playful yet thought-provoking piece is Yue Minjun’s Ingres and I. Known for his iconic laughing figures, Yue reinterprets classical portraiture here with a twist. By appropriating and transforming Western art historical references - in this instance, with Ingres's Neoclassical style - Yue presents a critique on the intersection of Eastern and Western artistic traditions.The snake’s dual nature—both feared and revered—is mirrored in Yue’s ability to balance humor with critique, challenging conventions while celebrating individuality. 

A thread connecting tradition, heritage, and cultural dialogue between past and present, Eastern and Western art, Damien Hirst's series, The Empresses, elucidates metamorphosis and draws upon the influence of ruling women in history, and artistic philosophies from the East. The glittering surface of each piece, composed of butterflies, shimmers like a snake's iridescent scales, symbolising transformation. Hirst's use of materials underscores themes of beauty and resilience central to this zodiac year. The butterfly represents transformation, love, and immortality in Chinese tradition. The famous 'Butterfly Lovers' legend, where two lovers transform into butterflies after death, emphasises its association with eternal love and spiritual transcendence. Like the snake's ability to shed its skin, the butterfly's metamorphosis symbolises renewal and rebirth. In Chinese culture, the snake is both a divine creature and a symbol of wisdom, paradoxically representing both danger and protection, much like the butterfly's dual nature as both fragile and transformative. 

The circular arrangements of each of the five works in Damien Hirst's series suggest life cycles. The assemblage of butterfly wings allude to mortality and transcendence. Wings are framed by glitter with the same vibrancy and tactile nature used by Hirst in his paintings, conveying a sense of joy and exuding hope and life with its iridescent light, which seems to capture the butterflies in moments of various directional flight. As well as a reference to Empress butterflies, each individual piece is named after five influential female rulers from history: Wu Zetian, Theodora, Nūr Jahān, Suiko and Taytu Betul. Each ruler brought unique stories and significant contributions to their respective cultures, and their legacies are beautifully represented in the artwork. The series is enhanced by the dominant red tone that evokes a tapestry of life and vitality, strength of power, intensity, the warmth of love, the exuberance of joy, and the promise of good fortune.

In Xu Zhen’s Eternity - Six Dynasties Period Painted Earthenware Dragon, Sleeping Muse, ancient forms are reimagined. The dragon—a close cousin to the snake in Chinese mythology—embodies strength and wisdom. The sinuous curves of the dragon, classical proportions create an experience that serves pure visual emotion. Xu Zhen merges East and West, past and present, creating a dialogue that transcends cultural boundaries. Eternity is a profound meditation on historical transformation and artistic reimagination. Crafted from mineral-based composites and pigments, the work ingeniously reinterprets a Six Dynasties period earthenware dragon, suspending it in a moment of contemplative stillness. The sculpture's meticulous construction demonstrates Xu's exceptional technical mastery and conceptual sophistication. By carefully reconstructing an ancient artifact, Xu creates a dialogue between historical memory and contemporary artistic vision.