About the artwork
This sculpture by Gao Xiaowu features a man clad in attire that appears distinctly European, featuring a suit and bowl hat. The man’s posture is bowed slightly with his hand on his heart, and his smile displays his congenial attitude. While there is an affable aura about the figure, there exists an ambiguous undercurrent to the work, in which the viewer is left wondering if the interpretation stops at the explicit or is a satirical comment on the current sociopolitical position of the Chinese. This notion is reinforced the work’s darker colour palette, which indicates a more sombre undertone. Gao’s aesthetics and sculptures are captivating, and simultaneously encourage the viewer to stretch their imagination to create their own conclusions about its meaning.
About the artist
Gao Xiao Wu was born in Sanming, Fujian province, in 1976 and currently lives and works in Beijing. He enrolled in the sculpture department of Xiamen Art Academy before continuing his studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing and graduating in 2004. Basing his work on the lives of ordinary people in the city, as well as an exploration of his own identity, Gao Xiao Wu's work has been shown in solo and prestigious group exhibitions and is included in high-profile art collections worldwide including the White Rabbit Collection, Australia; DBS Group, Singapore; Park Hyatt, Shanghai and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.