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| Sun Furong, Nibbling Up—Tomb Figures, 2008, mixed media, 180 x 550 x 250 cm (detail) image courtesy White Rabbit Gallery |
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| Jin Feng, A History of China’s Modernisation Volumes 1 and 2, 2011, tank tyres, marble, rice paper, dimensions variable (detail) - image courtesy White Rabbit Gallery |
The show's title recalls the slogan Capon saw written everywhere on his first visit to China in 1974 at the height of the Cultural Revolution. He believes that contemporary art in China, with its exuberance and creative innovation, represents the antithesis of the mindless conformity and savage repression of that era. It is indeed "serving the people" although perhaps not in the way that Mao envisaged!
Here's a preview of some interesting pieces, including one of my favourites, Sun Furong's fabulous 'Nibbling Up - Tomb Figures' series of destroyed and ravaged Mao suits, recalling the serried rows of terracotta warriors found in Xian.
Watch this space! The exhibition opens on Friday and I shall be writing a review for The Art Life and discussing the works here in this blog.
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| Liu Dahong, Scummy Dregs of the Old Society, 2011, oil and charcoal on canvas, 100 x 80 cm (detail) image courtesy White Rabbit Gallery |
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| Shen Shaomin, Laboratory: Three-Headed, Six-Armed Superhuman, 2005, bones, bone meal, glue, glass, dimensions variable (detail) - image courtesy White Rabbit Gallery |
“Its spirit is exuberant, engaging, ambitious, bold, at times downright vulgar. It reflects all the pent-up creative energy that was so frustrated by decades of totalitarian repression. Contemporary art in China is ‘serving the people’ by liberating minds and inspiring imaginations.”“Its spirit is exuberant, engaging, ambitious, bold, at times downright vulgar. It reflects all the pent-up creative energy that was so frustrated by decades of totalitarian repression. Contemporary art in China is ‘serving the people’ by liberating minds and inspiring i
