Mao is all Wang
Sees (2006-07-31)
Amateur sculptor Wang Wenhai's passion and love for Chairman Mao
has given birth to thousands of sculptured images of the great
Chinese leader. Many of the works are unconventional Mao as Buddha,
as a lady, and as a comfortable pillow to rest on.
These works would have put Wang in serious trouble during the
tumultuous years of the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) but Wang
says there is always a noble reason behind each artistic expression.
One of his recent works is a Mao portrait with many eyes painted
on the body of a bell. That was Wang's reflection of Mao, in today's
money-oriented society.
Wang, 55, started to craft sculptures of Chairman Mao in the
early 1970s and has been a devotee to Mao all of his life.
Born in Central China's Henan
Province, Wang moved with his father to Yan'an,
Shaanxi
Province in the 1960s. Yan'an was the cultural bed of the
Chinese revolution and the final destination of the Long March.
Wang became a guide for the Yan'an Revolutionary Museum after his
graduation from college in the early 1970s. Since then he has
developed an intimate and special relationship with Mao expressed
through his art. He is known by his friends as the King of Clay
Sculpture because of his prolific efforts. This weekend is the last
chance to catch Wang's interesting collection at the Margin Art
Space at 798 Art Zone. The exhibition closes on Monday.
Margin Art Centre, 798 Art Zone, 11am-6:30pm, everyday except
Mondays till July 31.
Editor: Lency |