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拍品專文
In his seminal work Politics, Aristotle stated that "K Man is by nature a political animal". The intricate web of the political environment has always been a source of inspiration for artists. When his contemporaries were fervently appropriating political figures and historical events in the schemas of their works, Mao Xuhui diverted his focus to the everyday life. In the eyes of people with diversely different backgrounds, a filing cabinet, a bookshelf, a key, or a hand gesture, they all have the same functional characteristics. Yet, Mao Xuhui uses his razor-sharp observation to dissect how these mundane objects possess distinct contexts that are unique to the Chinese society. The three mutually expounding works of The Vocabulary of Power No. 10, The Vocabulary of Power No. 11, and The Vocabulary of Power No. 13 examine the multitude of layers behind the network of authority.
OBJECTS AS CONTAINERS
File cabinets are for categorising and storing data. However, if what is being collected is not ordinary data but personal information, the file cabinet is then transformed into the embodiment of totalitarianism. The Vocabulary of Power No. 10 is Mao Xuhui's subtle metaphor for the helplessness of an individual under the authoritarian regime. Every drawer is labelled with a classified number, and the padlock further strengthens the dreaded air of secrecy. The different personality, background, and experience of each individual shape his or her own unique existence. Yet, the invisible hand can obliterate all their characteristics. It brutally conflates everything into faceless numbers and alphabets that are devoid of any personalities. The locked file cabinet symbolises the fear of being monitored - this anxiety is comparable to living in a society where the secret police is omnipresent, and anything that anyone ever does is being recorded without their knowledge. Mao Xuhui and Zhang Enli similarly place objects in an ambiguous space without a three dimensional perspective (Fig. 1). A sense of strangeness is manifested as a result, and it heightens the insinuations that the artists are making. Yet, their concepts regarding objects diverge. Zhang Enli urges the viewer to contemplate the relationship between the object and the self. Mao Xuhui, on the other hand, considers the object a container. It transcends its physical existence and reflects itself as the visual representation of the invisible authority.
BODY LANGUAGE - SYMBOL OF POWER ACROSS CULTURAL BOUNDARIES
To buttress political power, propaganda always idealises the ruler. The gestures in The Vocabulary of Power No. 11 remind viewers of Mao Zedong as depicted in political propaganda (Fig. 2). The fingers of an open palm are tightly squeezed against each other as the arm extends rigidly. Even though the face of the person cannot be seen, his unswerving position can still be keenly felt. His hand gesture has significant meanings that are psychologically imposing - they are commands issued from a top-down power structure. Using a format that is similar to the Pop Art of Andy Warhol, Mao Xuhui repeated the motif four times on the canvas. As the number on the lower left corner of each frame increases, the area of the colour red spreads accordingly until it entirely covers the palm- this phenomenon reveals a disturbing reality. The stout brushworks and lines construct an illusory space that erases any references to time, place, and the people involved. Without any specific traits, this anonymous hand evades any speculations of the person's gender and nationality. Mao Xuhui once said "Power has many synonyms in a civilised society". The artist's point of departure was to criticise authoritarianism in the feudal society of China. Yet, his argument extends across international boundaries and cultural differences. The Vocabulary of Power No. 11 is an exposition that questions the universal topic of power.
CONSTRUCTING THE SYMBOLS OF AUTHORITY
The Vocabulary of Power No. 13 reveals how the authorities control the thoughts of the public. Red books and white books are staggered on the red bookshelf as if to imply two diametrically opposing positions. The symmetry and the arch on top of the bookshelf give the composition a sense of solemnity and sanctity that are reminiscent of the Western Classical religious paintings. In the painting Pieta (Fig. 3), Italian Renaissance artist Titian painted the dead Christ in a symmetrical and sacred space. This treatment clearly defines his status as the centre of authority, and the indoor arch further strengthens the ideas of authority that he represents. The 20th century revolutionary politician Liang Qichao stated, "Progress of the people depends on the freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press". Books serve the purpose of disseminating information and documenting history, thus the bookshelf is the fountain of knowledge. However, the giant key in the painting symbolises an exclusive group of people who decide what can be read and who gets to write. Books are thus turned into ruthless political tools that imprison thoughts. The ignorance of the people is the victory of the ruler. With the awe-inspiring power of the arch and the symbolic meaning of the books and the key, Mao Xuhui constructed an immense ideograph of authority.
To Mao Xuhui, being an artist means a duty incumbent upon him, "The openness of art is to enter the various aspect of life, to drag people back to the real sense of existence from the nothingness of idealism, and to endow people with some self-confidence to survive." and "Art is not a kind of education but a kind of awakening". Authoritarianism is so pervasive that it is disheartening. However, as stated by Plato in the Allegory of the Cave, those who have the courage to see and reason will be free. The Vocabulary of Power No. 10, The Vocabulary of Power No. 11, and The Vocabulary of Power No. 13 each encompass a set of unique symbols. It is both a mark of an era and a microcosm of Mao Xuhui's artistic career. He vigilantly examines our society with great perseverance, and he urges people to confront and rethink the history and the status quo of their countries through his art.
OBJECTS AS CONTAINERS
File cabinets are for categorising and storing data. However, if what is being collected is not ordinary data but personal information, the file cabinet is then transformed into the embodiment of totalitarianism. The Vocabulary of Power No. 10 is Mao Xuhui's subtle metaphor for the helplessness of an individual under the authoritarian regime. Every drawer is labelled with a classified number, and the padlock further strengthens the dreaded air of secrecy. The different personality, background, and experience of each individual shape his or her own unique existence. Yet, the invisible hand can obliterate all their characteristics. It brutally conflates everything into faceless numbers and alphabets that are devoid of any personalities. The locked file cabinet symbolises the fear of being monitored - this anxiety is comparable to living in a society where the secret police is omnipresent, and anything that anyone ever does is being recorded without their knowledge. Mao Xuhui and Zhang Enli similarly place objects in an ambiguous space without a three dimensional perspective (Fig. 1). A sense of strangeness is manifested as a result, and it heightens the insinuations that the artists are making. Yet, their concepts regarding objects diverge. Zhang Enli urges the viewer to contemplate the relationship between the object and the self. Mao Xuhui, on the other hand, considers the object a container. It transcends its physical existence and reflects itself as the visual representation of the invisible authority.
BODY LANGUAGE - SYMBOL OF POWER ACROSS CULTURAL BOUNDARIES
To buttress political power, propaganda always idealises the ruler. The gestures in The Vocabulary of Power No. 11 remind viewers of Mao Zedong as depicted in political propaganda (Fig. 2). The fingers of an open palm are tightly squeezed against each other as the arm extends rigidly. Even though the face of the person cannot be seen, his unswerving position can still be keenly felt. His hand gesture has significant meanings that are psychologically imposing - they are commands issued from a top-down power structure. Using a format that is similar to the Pop Art of Andy Warhol, Mao Xuhui repeated the motif four times on the canvas. As the number on the lower left corner of each frame increases, the area of the colour red spreads accordingly until it entirely covers the palm- this phenomenon reveals a disturbing reality. The stout brushworks and lines construct an illusory space that erases any references to time, place, and the people involved. Without any specific traits, this anonymous hand evades any speculations of the person's gender and nationality. Mao Xuhui once said "Power has many synonyms in a civilised society". The artist's point of departure was to criticise authoritarianism in the feudal society of China. Yet, his argument extends across international boundaries and cultural differences. The Vocabulary of Power No. 11 is an exposition that questions the universal topic of power.
CONSTRUCTING THE SYMBOLS OF AUTHORITY
The Vocabulary of Power No. 13 reveals how the authorities control the thoughts of the public. Red books and white books are staggered on the red bookshelf as if to imply two diametrically opposing positions. The symmetry and the arch on top of the bookshelf give the composition a sense of solemnity and sanctity that are reminiscent of the Western Classical religious paintings. In the painting Pieta (Fig. 3), Italian Renaissance artist Titian painted the dead Christ in a symmetrical and sacred space. This treatment clearly defines his status as the centre of authority, and the indoor arch further strengthens the ideas of authority that he represents. The 20th century revolutionary politician Liang Qichao stated, "Progress of the people depends on the freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press". Books serve the purpose of disseminating information and documenting history, thus the bookshelf is the fountain of knowledge. However, the giant key in the painting symbolises an exclusive group of people who decide what can be read and who gets to write. Books are thus turned into ruthless political tools that imprison thoughts. The ignorance of the people is the victory of the ruler. With the awe-inspiring power of the arch and the symbolic meaning of the books and the key, Mao Xuhui constructed an immense ideograph of authority.
To Mao Xuhui, being an artist means a duty incumbent upon him, "The openness of art is to enter the various aspect of life, to drag people back to the real sense of existence from the nothingness of idealism, and to endow people with some self-confidence to survive." and "Art is not a kind of education but a kind of awakening". Authoritarianism is so pervasive that it is disheartening. However, as stated by Plato in the Allegory of the Cave, those who have the courage to see and reason will be free. The Vocabulary of Power No. 10, The Vocabulary of Power No. 11, and The Vocabulary of Power No. 13 each encompass a set of unique symbols. It is both a mark of an era and a microcosm of Mao Xuhui's artistic career. He vigilantly examines our society with great perseverance, and he urges people to confront and rethink the history and the status quo of their countries through his art.