Through the looking glass

Beijing sculptor Jiang Jie's obsession with young people continues this month at Shanghai Art Museum, but exhibition organizer Martell has judiciously omitted earlier works of human fetuses in various stages of embryonic development to avoid controversy.

The French cognac company has invited its four artists of the year to attend the month-long event, which opened last week. Oil painter Zeng Fanzhi, conceptual video and installation artist Gu Wenda and Norwegian photographer Solve Sundsbo make up the rest of the quartet.

This time, Jiang is presenting a three-part series on glass-fiber sculptures depicting children with adult facial expressions. Her works comprise a pair of two-meter-high babies' heads, two girls' heads with their hair cut into bobs and black holes where their eyes should be, and a life-sized sculpture of a school girl standing in front of a blackboard.

Before the opening, Jiang's 9-year-old son wrote the title of the latter piece - "Start Now" - on the blackboard and drew little chairs with colored chalk as a final touch.

"I work with images of children and babies because people react instinctively to them," said Jiang, now 46. "I want to use my artwork to discuss problems of humanity. I want to reflect deep issues that we deal with in society."