AsiaWorld-Expo
Tomorrow to May 26
Mainland painter and sculptor Ren Sihong often plays with the image of Mao Zedong, turning the Great Helmsman into a manga-like 3D caricature. But underneath the cuteness is his interpretation of a linkage between the old and new generations on the mainland today.
Ren's latest solo exhibition showcases 10 oil paintings and 25 sculptures and is part of this year's Asia International Arts & Antiques Fair 2008, which kicks off tomorrow.
This series of artworks by Ren, 41, is on the theme of sports inspired by the so-called broadcast exercises of the 1950s and 60s. Shortly after the establishment of the People's Republic of China under Mao, everyone from factory and mine workers, students to officials had to perform these exercises every day at fixed hours and locations.
The artist says it symbolises unity and discipline, and in his sculptural sports series, Mao figures climb, walk, dance and perform gymnastics, all symbolising the dawn of a new political era.
