Group Sculpture Reincarnation

　　As one of the international referees for the 2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture Contest, I cast my anonymous ballot for Making Concerted Effort, which eventually won the Gold Price over numerous entries in the competition. This bronze sculpture, whose subject matter is Chinese Women’s Volleyball Team, deeply impressed me for its distinct theme and unique shape.

　　Later, I noticed that the author’s name is MENG Dewu.

　　When I met MENG Dewu recently, he showed me a huge number of works created throughout the years including the recently finished group sculpture Reincarnation that reminds me of a sensitive and persistent sculptor who has diverse subject matters and techniques.

　　The 12 bronze Chinese zodiac figureheads, which sprouted water in front Haiyantang of the Old Summer Palace, scattered after the British and French troops burned downed the Palace in 1860. In recent years, some of the figureheads appeared in the overseas auction market. Patriotic persons and institutions expressed strong patriotism in buying home the figureheads after failures of recovery with legal means. The casting, scattering, and returning of these figureheads is a testimony of the rise and fall of the Chinese nation. They sustain the complex feelings of the Chinese and become symbols of the contemporary Chinese culture with rich historical contents.

　　MENG Dewu’s Group Sculpture Reincarnation offers brand new interpretations of the 12 bronze Chinese zodiac figureheads. It bestows various figurative human bodies of ancient good fortunes and contemporary money worship to these figureheads. Therefore, besides the function of historical testimony, the figureheads obtain meanings of criticism against the reality. The group sculpture not only adopts contemporary artistic strategies of image appropriation, refurbishment, and parody, but also shows MENG Dewu’s solid background in Chinese traditional and folk art.

　　Toward the tides of contemporary arts, MENG Dewu perseveres in an attitude of faithfulness to his inner feelings. He learns from the techniques of contemporary art but is never encumbered with ideas. In his prudent artistic stand, sense of humor accompanies serious rational criticism while taste of the general public is catered in the expression of penetrate thought.

　　A self sculpture is circled in the center of the group sculpture Reincarnation of the 12 bronze Chinese zodiac figureheads. As the 77th generation descendent of Mencius, MENG Dewu desires to become a contemporary heir of the traditional Chinese culture. His sincerity and earnest are obvious to everyone.

WANG Duanting

Senior Research Fellow

Institute of Fine Arts

Chinese National Academy of Arts