Two Fujian-native sculptors have made their name with quirky
animals. Chen Wenling turns amiable lucky pigs into overfed
snarling beasts. Chen Zhiguang creates swarms of giant ants, some
quite human.
Chen Wenling
Born in 1969 in Anxi, Fujian Province
Graduated from Fujian Arts and Crafts
Institute
Attended the Central Academy of Fine Art,
sculpture department
Lives and works in Beijing and Xiamen
Sculptor Chen Wenling's breakthrough came in 2006 at the
Shanghai Biennale.
He hit the international art world jackpot with a huge pig
sculpture featuring a pig-snouted red auto with long red tongue -
and at its tip dangle a golden pig and overfed humans.
Transforming the amiable pig, Chinese symbol of prosperity, into
a gross and vicious beast has become one of Chen's trademarks, a
symbol of what materialism is doing to society. Humans, too, are
distasteful - some hugely and sleekly fat like the pigs, others
gaunt and starved.
"My life was changed completely (by the success)," says the
38-year-old artist, a bit wistfully, though he can lament all the
way to the bank. "I found myself terribly busy, not in working on
sculptures, but traveling, taking at least two overseas trips in
one month."
Today he is fully booked with exhibitions, seminars and other
events. He works in Beijing and recently visited Shanghai.
"I am so exhausted," he says, "but this is how an artist gets
international exposure."
A 2,000-square-meter studio in Beijing replaces his former
200-square-meter space, and the price of his sculptures reaches a
figure that he can still scarcely imagine - some over
US$20,000.
He works in bronze and paints his sculptures, often shiny,
bright red, sometimes neutral flesh tones. The famous pig-auto is
an outdoor sculpture with a tongue more than two stories high.
"Today I can totally identify with the condition of those
unknown young artists, because I used to be one of them," he
says.
Perhaps that's why Chen occasionally purchases some of their
artworks, maybe he finds a shadow of himself among them.
?
In fact, Chen's name first became known through his "Red Children"
series - Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai was one of the buyers. But
it is his "Personate Pig" series that really sent him to the
forefront of Chinese contemporary art.
"In Chinese culture, the pig is the symbol of fortune," Chen
explains.
But the traditional mild piggy becomes bloated, ferocious and
irascible in Chen's art pieces - he says the transformation is a
result of the materialistic society.
"Survival only comes from extremes," says Chen. "I want to
challenge the extremes both in work and life."
These pigs are one of his "extremes." They often appear in a
maniac state, expressing extreme happiness or anger. His pigs are
dangerous.
"Can you believe that I was almost stabbed to death in a robbery
a decade ago?" Chen suddenly switches the topic. "I lost so much
blood, but finally I crawled a long way for help, and I was
saved."
The particular experience might be one reason for the harsh
darkness reflected in his pigs and human sculpture, but harsh,
crass reality is another.
"I come from a peasant family, so I have a wild personality," he
adds. "I am against any egalitarianism or mediocrity in art."
Although Chen says he could "sit well" on his pig sculpture
series for another couple of years, he has started a series titled
"Chinese Landscapes."
"I treasure my creativity," he says. "I don't want to waste it
in repetition."
Chen Zhiguang
Born in 1963 in Xiamen, Fujian Province
Graduated from Fujian Normal University in
1988
Advanced study in Germany in 2001
It's easy to ignore ants on earth, but it is hard to ignore the
metal ant sculptures created by Chen Zhiguang.
Chen's ants usually appear in groups with various postures, even
in swarms.
"I never compare ants to human beings, but human beings to
ants," Chen says.
"I admire the team spirit of ants: Team spirit is the basis of
ants' survival for hundreds of millions of years on earth," he
explains. "I also want to use the ant symbol to remind human beings
to respect tiny creatures on the globe."
Some of his ants, each around half-a-meter, swarm over the
ground, on stairways and walls. His stainless steel army is
formidable. Others take human poses and play traditional
instruments.
He recently exhibited the "Tao of Ants" at the Shanghai Duolun
Museum of Modern Art.
Many people think ants are identical, indistinguishable,
anonymous. But in Chen's eyes, each ant is an independent
individual with its own special characteristics. That's why some
ants take a cat-like shape (with a few extra limbs), quite
individual, some male, some female.
"To capture the daily activities of ants, I often study them
closely to capture their different movements," Chen says.
The hunting, patrolling, migrating and breeding of ants is a
repeated cycle, which the artist says is akin to the Chinese
Zen.
"It is the real nature behind the ant's survival," he explains.
"Just think, ants are so tiny, but the ant army sticks strictly to
its daily routine. As a result, they extend their territory and the
species' vitality is carried on."
Chen also portrays his ant army in photographs and in oil on
canvas. He poses his troops in different famous settings, marching
on the Great Wall and in the Beijing Olympic Stadium.
"I am now planning to shoot them in front of the Jin Mao Tower,"
he says. "I think the ant army would be very compelling when they
show up at this piece of cold armored concrete."
Before Jin Mao Tower, Chen's ants have already crawled along the
Bund and visited the Oriental Pearl Broadcasting and Television
Tower.
"Art should be an interesting career, and it really demands an
exuberant creativity," he concludes.
(Shanghai Daily October 24, 2007)
