The artist creating robots with Chinese characteristics
Sun Shiqian is devoted to making ‘robot art’ that is distinctly Chinese, moving beyond US and Japanese influences
In the suburbs of Beijing, a 32-year-old engineer creates the kind of larger-than-life, shape-shifting robots that most have only seen in the Transformers movies.
Sun Shiqian’s roomy warehouse on the outskirts of the capital houses a hulking menagerie, from a sleepy cow to a fiery metal dragon that stands 4.9 metres tall at the flip of a switch.
A graduate of China’s prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts, Sun worked as an engineer before deciding to devote himself full-time to what he calls “robot arts”.
“As a child, I loved watching cartoons with robots,” Sun said.
“But I noticed that they were all from either Japan or the United States. There were no Chinese robots.”
At the World Robot Conference in Beijing last month, the sculptor showcased an ox with the mechanical ability to transform into a robot “gladiator”, equipped with steel abs.
