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Lot Essay
The reason traditional artificial rocks are appreciated by Chinese is based on the following theory: no two rocks in the natural world are identical because those precious, perfectly shaped rocks are formed naturally. In his renowned Artificial Rock Series, Zhan Wang has modernized the traditional concept of "mountains" and "water" (Lot 526). With his mastery of skillful techniques, he has successfully imitated the shapes and lines of artificial rocks using stainless steel. The unique malleability of stainless steel makes it ideal in expressing the rugged surface of rocks. In his Artificial Rock Series, the artist does not intend to create a meditation space for the viewers to be detached from the reality. Instead of plumbing the mysteries of nature in miniature form, the viewer finds the real world reflected on the fluid surfaces of Zhan's rocks.
Stainless steel was massively utilized in China for large-scaled city construction in the 1990s because of its low cost and stainless nature. The pursuit of the "shininess" is a kind of aesthetic worship of the rapidly developing commercial society, which in a way shows the extension of materialism. In view of Zhan Wang, the eager pursuit of stainless, which in other words means "eternal shininess", laterally reflects the rapid vanishing of culture and traditions of the ancient city- Beijing. The polished stainless steel reflects the surroundings on the irregular cambered surface of the artificial rocks as if a magic mirror does, forming transformed, broken, distorted, scattered and changeable reflections. As Wu Hong stated, "We must realize that to Zhan Wang, 'glittering surface, ostentatious glamour, and illusory appearance' are not necessarily bad qualities, and that his stainless-steel rocks are definitely not designed as satire or mockery of contemporary material culture. Rather, both the original rockeries and his copies are material forms selected or created for people's spiritual needs; their different materiality suits different needs at different times. The problem he addresses is thus one of authenticity: Which from the original rock or his copy more genuinely reflects contemporary Chinese culture? Interestingly, the Chinese call natural rockeries Jia Shan Shi (artificial rocks). According to Zhan Wang, such rocks, even if made of real stones, have truly become "fakes" when used to decorate a contemporary environment. But his stainless-steel rocks, though artificial, signify the "genuine" of our own time.
Stainless steel was massively utilized in China for large-scaled city construction in the 1990s because of its low cost and stainless nature. The pursuit of the "shininess" is a kind of aesthetic worship of the rapidly developing commercial society, which in a way shows the extension of materialism. In view of Zhan Wang, the eager pursuit of stainless, which in other words means "eternal shininess", laterally reflects the rapid vanishing of culture and traditions of the ancient city- Beijing. The polished stainless steel reflects the surroundings on the irregular cambered surface of the artificial rocks as if a magic mirror does, forming transformed, broken, distorted, scattered and changeable reflections. As Wu Hong stated, "We must realize that to Zhan Wang, 'glittering surface, ostentatious glamour, and illusory appearance' are not necessarily bad qualities, and that his stainless-steel rocks are definitely not designed as satire or mockery of contemporary material culture. Rather, both the original rockeries and his copies are material forms selected or created for people's spiritual needs; their different materiality suits different needs at different times. The problem he addresses is thus one of authenticity: Which from the original rock or his copy more genuinely reflects contemporary Chinese culture? Interestingly, the Chinese call natural rockeries Jia Shan Shi (artificial rocks). According to Zhan Wang, such rocks, even if made of real stones, have truly become "fakes" when used to decorate a contemporary environment. But his stainless-steel rocks, though artificial, signify the "genuine" of our own time.