Exhibition highlights large women enjoying a sense of liberation, Lin Qi reports.

Rhythm, a sculpture by Xu Hongfei, is on display at his solo exhibition at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. (LIN QI / CHINA DAILY)

At a time when people often have anxieties over their body shape and social image, Xu Hongfei, an eminent sculptor from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, tries to soothe this collective distress by revisiting the distinctive image of large women in his work.

Xu's depiction of these chubby, yet flexible and joyful women bears testimony to embracing an easygoing, humorous attitude toward life and living with a free spirit, disregarding what others might say about them or their way of life.

The "fat women" sculptures have been shown across the world since 2013, often in public places, touring Sydney, Paris, Florence, London and Berlin, to name just a few major cities, and inspiring joy among people of different cultures and ages.

Now dozens of these statues that offer a review of Xu's career, which spans more than three decades, are on show at his solo exhibition, Following the Notes, running until July 21 at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

The overweight female physique, sometimes with exaggerated proportions, which Xu normally renders in bronze, easily reminds the audience of a similar approach found in primitive art, in which plump limbs and a broad waist represent a woman's fertility. Instead, in Xu's work, the fuller figures symbolize both physical and mental well-being.

A Kiss of Angels, a work created by Xu, hails medical workers in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.(LIN QI / CHINA DAILY)

He shows these women as individuals in various scenarios of everyday life: playing the cello, enjoying a tango with a dancing partner, practicing yoga, riding a galloping horse, or being angry with a naughty dog. Whatever appearance the woman takes, she brims with nothing but self-confidence, optimism and energy.

Xu imparts his productions with a strong sense of rhythm, theatrical strength and wild imagination.

The exhibition displays several works showing a large woman dancing with a slim man, and sometimes, the massive body of the woman is raised up in the air, as if it is as light and soft as a cloud. Other times, the woman is lifted by her smaller partner, or in return, she is the one lifting the male dancer.

The sharp contrast between the physiques of the woman and the man, and between the woman's expression of great delight and the cool look on the man's face, has allowed Xu's work to transcend the boundaries of culture and nation.

An Laishun, vice-president of the International Council of Museums, who attended the exhibition's opening, says the show underlines four keywords of Xu's output, which are "joy, a right that people deserve anytime; humor, which makes people optimistic of life; well-being and love".

"His works show art and culture as the means to cure people, and to benefit people's mental health, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic," An says.

A Ride of Joy shows the artist's depiction of a woman celebrating life. (LIN QI / CHINA DAILY)

An says Xu is a cultural ambassador communicating Chinese people's take on life to the world.

"Hilarity, fun and love are universal languages, and so it is with the art of sculpture, which does not need to be translated," Xu says. "My works present the brightness and self-esteem of China in a new era, and create a friendly and animated image of our people to the world."

The exhibition also shows works that address Xu's social responsibility, including those documenting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, held earlier this year, and the fight against the pandemic.

Hailing from a village in Guangdong province, Xu also shows works reflecting the simplicity of rural life and vitality in the countryside.

He held an outdoor exhibition in a remote village, primarily inhabited by people of the Yao ethnic group, in northwestern Guangdong, in 2009. Villagers helped transport the sculptures, which depicted their day-to-day moments, and installed them at the site. The experience impressed local residents and Xu himself, who afterward continued to make works themed on rural life.

He took these sculptures to dozens of villages across the country in 2020, in a gesture to promote rural vitalization and tourism. Some of the works, on a smaller scale, are also on show at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

"As an artist, I hope that through my works, people can feel the pulse of the time," Xu says.

Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn