(Maurizio Crispi) Chi dovesse arrivare a Londra in questo periodo (giugno 2014) non può mancare di andare a dare un occhiata alla mostra temporanea (dal 3 al 16 giugno 2014) sul Thames Queen's Walk, nei pressi del Tower Bridge 

Le statue di grandi proporzioni brunite come se fossero di bronzo (ma in realtà sono realizzate in materiali leggeri tipo cartapesta), affiancate da altre più piccole (in bianco, trattate con uno smalto che le fa sembrare di candido marmo) ma sempre realizzate con analoghi materiali, appartengono alla serie (ormai ricchissima: oltre 100 pezzi) delle "Chubby Women", una mostra estemporanea all'aperto che ha già fatto il giro del mondo e che ora è approdata anche a Londra (una delle location italiane che l'ha ospitata è stata Montepulciano, Siena).

Le statue di Xu Hongfei, per quanto "chubby" siano le sue donne, sprizzano vitalità: i corpi pesanti si muovono in maniera flessuosa e con agilità, quasi a ritmo di musica e suggeriscono la possibilità di movimenti scattanti e di molta emergia, in qualche misura, trasudanti eros, il tutto attenuato da un pizzico di humour.

I soggetti sono i più diversi e riguardano sia attività comuni (come l'andare placidamente in bici) sia attività sportive come il Rugby con delle pose plastiche di corpi avvinghiati in una lotta estrema per il possesso della palla ovale o, infine, eteree scene di danza, come la donna che volteggia agilmente, mentre viene contemplata da un cane incuriosito.

Ma forse la più bella di tutte è quella che raffigura il bacio tra un ballerino agile e scattante, i muscoli della schiena in rilievo e tesi per lo sforzo  e la chubby woman di turno appollaiata tra le sue braccia in una posa di dinamicità estrema.

Le figure di Xu Hongfei, attuale presidente della cinese Guangzhou Sculpture Academy, sembrano in parte mutuate - con le loro forme sobrabbondati, eppure sensuali - dal mondo dei fumetti, ma sono nello stesso tempo marchiate dall'ossessione per il "grasso", tipica di Botero.

Ma, tale è il dinamismo dei movimenti rappresentatati, che viene anche spontanea l'associazione con la magnifica "Danza delle Ore" interpretata dalle ippopotamesse con tanto di tutù e ballerine, fantasticamente leggiadre nei loro movimenti, realizzato da Walt Disney ed incluse nel suo film "Fantasia" collezione di cortometraggi straordinari...
E, ovviamente, è d'obbligo l'associazione con le veneri preistoriche.

In ogni caso, quella di Xu Hongfei è un'ossessione per la donna grassa, che è nello stesso tempo oggetto dell'Eros e del desiderio.

Nell'unica composizione in cui si vede una figura maschile, il ballerino che sorregge la donna è agile e muscoloso e, soprattutto, magro senza nemmeno un'oncia di grasso di troppo.

Poi, solo animali come i cani o oggetti (le bici, il pallone da Rugby conteso) sono ammessi al cospetto di cotanta, archetipica, maestà femminile.

(www.morelondon.com)This June, London plays host to renowned Chinese sculptor Xu Hongfei and his international travelling exhibition as it arrives in the capital following exhibitions in Italy, China, Australia and France.
Recognised as one of China’s leading artists and current president of the Guangzhou Sculpture Academy, Xu Hongfei’s work offers a lively exploration of daily life in China. His interest is in the simple, ordinary, and everyday pleasures in which his subjects find happiness. In his ‘Chubby Women’ series, Xu Hongfei presents women engaging in daily activities and captures a snapshot of Chinese life through their lens. These sculptures will be exhibited in association with the government of Guangzhou at More London in proximity to Tower Bridge, bringing a slice of China to an iconic part of the capital.
The female subjects of Xu Hongfei’s sculptures are infused with energy and exuberance. There is an innocent charm to the sheer joy they find in the ordinary, a sentiment that the artist hopes will prove contagious with viewers. His ‘Chubby Women’ are not limited by their size and enjoy active and fulfilling lives walking dogs, meeting lovers, riding bicycles and even skateboarding. Marking a conscious break from traditional European
sculpture and its elevation of a narrower type of beauty, Xu Hongfei celebrates a liberating new aesthetic and, in doing so, challenges us to question the notion of beauty in art.
The sculptures have proved popular with audiences worldwide and the touring exhibition has visited locations including Melbourne, Sydney, the National Art Museum Beijing, Tuscany, Sicily, and earlier this year, the Carousel du Louvre in Paris.


(dalla pagina Facebook, dedicata a Xu Hongfei) Xu Hongfei, President of the Guangzhou Academy of Sculpture, is a high acclaimed Chinese contemporary sculptor.Xu Hongfei 2013 International Sculpture Exhibition will be held from June 18th to 28th, 2013, at Campbell’s Cove, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Biography. Born in 1963, Xu Hongfei studied sculpture at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and continues to be a major influence on young Chinese artists through his role as President of the Guangzhou Academy of Sculpture.
He has been involved in numerous public sculpture projects in different parts of China since the 1990s. Internationally he has held exhibitions in France, Hong Kong and Thailand.
In 2008, the Paris Eighth District Government invited Xu to hold a solo exhibition in the French capital. While later that same year the International Olympic Committee selected him as the only sculptor representing China at the “Olympic Sport & Art Exhibition”. His work “A Merry Victory” is on display at IOC Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Much of the inspiration for Xu Hongfei’s contemporary work is drawn from his friendship with Chinese master Huang Yongyu, who has produced numerous acclaimed works in calligraphy, oil painting, watercolour, ink painting and woodcuts. Huang’s works are currently hung at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art.
In the late 1990s Xu Hongfei and Huang Yongyu discussed a new direction for his art, the result was his acclaimed “Chubby Women” series – a collection that has now grown to over 100 pieces.
In this series, Xu searches for beauty from daily life and found liberty and enchantment in portraying Chubby Women. He looks for a unique and creative perspective in an all natural way. Xu is certain about the beauty in them and pays a lot of respect to them, respect to the human body with a philosophical stance. He considers that each person has the right to enjoy one’s own body and be confident and contented about it.
Xu Hongfei believes “art should be fun and amusing” and has combined traditional and contemporary spirit of art in this series. His Chubby Women are independent and live their lives with both purpose and enjoyment. His meticulous use of white marbles, precious wood and bronze in portraying these figures have left viewers and art pursuers with new dimension to beauty in a revitalizing way.

https://www.facebook.com/XuhongfeiArts