Created by Zahang Dali, these pieces, which he labels Chinese Offspring, are a representation of a migrant construction worker. Consisting of 15 figures of various postures, a designated number, artist's signature, and work's title, these laborers are hung by their feet to denote their vulnerability and "economic entrapment." According to the author of this article, he or she says this faceless crowd lives at the bottom of society and Dali created these to "recognize their existence and contribution as well as to capture a fast-changing point in time in the Chinese society." These sculptures make me feel almost uncomfortable, mostly because I am associated their position with death as they dangle from the ceiling, but I also find this piece to be very interesting. I believe that the meaning behind these 15 is very moving.
I neither agree or disagree with the article. I am merely fascinated by the pieces themselves. Relating back to themes and types of art we have discussed, this group of sculptures shows more than meets the eye. Before the reading the article and having a better understanding of why these were created, I was confused at to what they meant, why they were suspended, etc. Without understanding important information, I could have assumed this piece to have a completely different significance. We have discussed that without certain knowledge, whether it is the time period which the work was created or the theme, the purpose that the artist meant to display may never be understood.
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/zhang_dali_articles.htm
I like that you said you neither agree or disagree with the peice. I think that art is supposed to simple captivate someone and then cause them to think about something in a different way than they might normally, or in other words to bring a truth to someones eyes and thoughts or to make a point. The peice in the article is very intersting and captivating but also quite eerie. I also like that you made sure to say that you would have understood the peice differently if you had not read the article and that is why is ipmortnat to understand the artist's statement about the peice or else the viewer might get the point totally wrong.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is slightly unsettling, this piece is very fascinating. I enjoyed mulling over the article's idea of its meaning, but it was much more refreshing that you did not take a stand on the article and let the piece speak for itself. Art is so subjective and a work can be anything to anyone. It is interesting to catch a bit of why it was created and what it originally applied to, but it is almost more exciting to find other ties.
ReplyDeleteI definitely know what you mean about being uncomfortable at first. You are also correct, in my opinion, of associating that discomfort with the pieces' position. It is interesting, however, that the artist uses that position to denote vulnerability and "economic entrapment". That does seem to make a lot of sense, given that their feet--maybe representative of the physical mode of moving forward--are bound. I would be interested to know more about the time period of Chinese society in which this work was made and how it relates to Dali's representation of the workers.
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