"Terracota Army" 2008
Liu Fenghua is based in Beijing. His series of Terracotta Warriors are based on the famed Terracotta Warriors located near the Mausoleum of China’s first emperor. This series is an ideal example of a contemporary artist’s reinterpretation of a classical Chinese image. Dating from around 200BC, the original figures were buried with the emperor Qiu Shi Huang so that he might be protected in the afterlife. Since their discovery, they have become an icon of China's distant past recognizable the world over. Created in Xian, from true terracota, Liu Fenghua’s sculptures are a reinterpretation of an iconic image. Liu Fenghua brings the ancient warriors into step with the 21st century through dedications to well-known figures in history, art history, and pop culture. Some examples include Einstein, Karl Marx, Mao, Lenin, Marilyn Monroe and Joan Miró. Branding this highly historic Chinese emblem with modern motifs and colours, Fenghua marries the modern and the historic, a true metaphor for his nation as it exists today. |
