Friday 25 September 2009

Just turn it upside down





Zhang is part of the growing collective that is Chinese contemporary art. His work 'Dali offsprings' has been the most successful in terms of gaining media attention. 

Chinese Offspring is one of Zhang's best known works. Consisting of 15 cast resin figures suspended from the ceiling, each sculpture is a representation of a migrant construction worker, a vast underclass who contribute to the modernisation process at it most visible level. Since 2003, Zhang has made 100 of these effigies in tribute to their unsung heroism. Zhang's work not only champions the individual plights of these transient labourers, but also records the one of the most important phenomena of new Chinese order: the growing schism between poverty and wealth. Zhang's figures are hung by their feet to denote their vulnerability and economic entrapment. Each bears a unique tattoo issuing them with an edition number, the Chinese Offspring project title, and the artist's signature of authentication - a normal practice in indexing art construed as a witty commentary on social engineering and population control.

CITED FROM - Saatchi, http://www.saatchigallery.co.uk/artists/artpages/zhang_dali_offspring.htm

When I first saw Zhang's work I was really intrigued by the simplicity of his work but how much impact it had. From just hanging the sculptures upside down elevated the impact as we are used to seeing sculptures in the upright way. 

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