Illustration:
ill. 5.67 (set: 5.66)
Author:
Sui Jianguo (1956-) 隋建国
Date:
2003
Genre:
sculpture
Material:
internetfile, colour; original source: sculpture, painted fibreglass, colour
Source:
Sui Jianguo, Chairman Mao Sleeping, 2003, (DACHS 2009 Sui Jianguo Works), Heidelberg catalogue entry
Keywords:
Mao Zedong, Mao portrait, Chinese avantgarde, God, icon, Mao memories

Sui Jianguo: Chairman Mao Sleeping (Sui Jianguo: Shuijiao de Mao Zhuxi 隋建国: 睡覺的毛主席)

Sui Jianguo 隋建国 (1956–) a Beijing sculptor, after repeatedly “beheading” Mao in his Legacy Mantel (衣钵) series of Mao suits modeled in all sizes, all colors, and all materials but without a head (the first of which were produced in 1997, see the previous illustration), went on, finally to “putting Mao to sleep” in a sculpture entitled Chairman Mao Sleeping (睡觉的毛主席) in 2003. He describes this experience as follows: “I realized Mao is not a God because God doesn’t sleep. Now I should stop thinking about Mao and take care of my own life.”