Artwork Page for Standard Family

Details / Information for Standard Family

Standard Family

1996

Wang Jinsong

(Chinese, b. 1963)
Culture
China
Medium
Chromogenic print
Measurements
Image: 43.8 x 122.2 cm (17 1/4 x 48 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Jo Hershey Selden Fund 2023.114
Copyright
Copyright
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Serial imagery—the repetition of a subject or format with slight variations—has been used by artists ranging from Claude Monet to Andy Warhol and Sol LeWitt.

Description

Wang Jinsong’s composite of portraits of 200 families employs serial imagery to address China’s one child policy. Instituted in 1980 to combat rapid population growth, it limited most couples to have just one child. The policy had additional unforeseen, undesirable consequences: having a predominantly male population further lowered birth rates and yielded a shrinking workforce. Repealed in 2016, the policy is negatively impacting China’s prosperity.
Twelve rows of fifteen color photographs depict families posed against a uniform red background. Most groups feature a man, a woman, and one child with medium-light skin tones, wearing sweaters and button-down shirts. The repetitive grid highlights subtle variations in posture and attire across the portraits. A white border at the bottom contains black text, including the title "STANDARD FAMILY" and the year 1996 centered below the array.

Standard Family

1996

Wang Jinsong

(Chinese, b. 1963)
China

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