One of the most important contemporary Chinese sculptors working today, Sui Jianguo was born 1956, Qingdao, Shandong Province. He was educated at the Shandong Institute of Fine Arts and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. In early 2000, Sui was one of the first artists to move his studio to the famous 798 art district and he is often credited with popularizing the area. Early in his career he used rocks as the material for abstract sculptures but the late 1990s, he shifted gears, adopting two motifs for which he’s now widely known: Dinosaurs and the Mao jacket.
Sui’s Dinosaurs series have become a trademark of his work. These dinosaurs focus more on China’s recent exporting nature, allowing Sui to evaluate the contemporary Chinese export culture. The “dinosaurs” made by Sui are magnified versions of the pink plastic toys sold readily through our Southeast Asia, though it is originates in Shenzhen in the south of China. Sui’s first encountered the toy in Japan and thought it appealed to his experience aboard. In order to emphasize his intention, the work is faithful to the original shape and texture; all an identical, enlarge version of the original toy. The so-called “Made” in the symbol “Made in China” relates directly to some topics on economical relations. Who is making? What is being made? Where is it being made? Where is it going to be sold? When international floating capital intrudes into China, the voice of anti-globalization becomes louder and louder. The transnational manufacturing of floating capital has changed the connotation of “country” and “region.” Toys, originally designed in the West, are produced from raw materials in China, and sold again to the overseas market, they perfectly represent the economic model of developing countries.
He has been praised by art critics for being a “pioneer venturing to the farthest reaches of Chinese sculpture.” Sui Jianguo’s art explores his unique understanding and recognition of creation, form, diverse media, alternative methods, and space-time. Sui Jianguo’s sculpture succeeds in bringing forth introspection on the artistic process in modern China. Whether it be the Realism in his early works or the classic shapes in his later Mao Jacket and Dinosaur pieces, both rely on the wisdom of native Chinese genealogy and channels of culture to serve as ways to solve problems, functioning as outlets. Sui Jianguo has been exhibited internationally and his works are in many notable institutional collections.
Born 1956 in Qingdao, Shandong province, China
Education
1984
B.A. Fine Arts Department, Shandong University of Arts
1989
M.A. Sculpture Department, China Central Academy of Fine Arts
Solo Exhibitions:
2012
Sui Jianguo’s Discus Thrower, The British Museum, London, UK
Sui Jianguo – Pace Beijing, 798, Beijing
Restrained Power: Sui Jianguo’s Work, MOCA，Singapore
2011
The Hague Under Heaven – Sui Jianguo Sculpture, Museum Beelden aan Zee, Hague, Holland
2010
Made in China by Sui Jianguo, Art Issue Projects, Beigao District, Beijing, China
2009
Motion/Tension : New Work by Sui Jianguo, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
2008
Art Time Square – Exhibition of works by Sui Jianguo, Hong Kong, China
Revealing Traces, Joyart, Beijing, China
2007
Dian Xue – Sui Jianguo Art Works, OCAT, Shanghai, China
Speeding up – Sui Jianguo Space Video, Arario, Beijing, China
2005
Sui Jianguo: The Sleep of Reason, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA
1999
Clothes Veins Study, Passage Gallery, Beijing, China
1997
You Meet the Shadow of Hundred Years, Victoria College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia
1996
Exhibition of Works by Sui Jianguo, Hanart Gallery, Hong Kong
1995
Deposit and Fault, New Delhi Culture Center, India
1994
Exhibition of Works by Sui Jianguo, Hanart Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
Remembrance of Space, CAFA Gallery, Beijing, China
Group Exhibitions:
2012
The 7th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale: Accidental Message, OCAT, Shenzhen, China
The Special Show for The First International Festival of Contemporary Sculpture 2012, Kiev, Ucrain
2011
Leaving Realism Behind, Pace Beijing, Beijng, China
Start from the Horizon-Chinese Contemporary Sculpture Since 1978, Sishang Art Museum, Beijing, China
Ideology and Manifestation, Wenxuan Art Museum, Chengdu, China
The 4th Guangdong Trinnale, GMOA, China
Super-Orgnasm-CAFAM Biennale, Beijing, China
Collection Histry-China New Art, MOCA Chengdu, China
Martell Artists of the Year, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou
2010
Made in Pop Land, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea
The city of forking paths, The sculpture project of the expo boulevard, World Expo Shanghai 2010, Shanghai
The constructed dimension – 2010 Chinese contemporary art invitational exhibition, National Art Museum of China
Sculpture – Sui Jianguo and his students, A4 gallery, Chengdu, China
2009
The home court, White Box Museum of Art, 798, Beijng, China
Beijing — Havana The Revolution of Art, The National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba
I Can Believe – Chinese Contemporary Artist’s (Invitation) Exhibition & Star Art Museum Opening Exhibition
Embrace Suzhou – Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Art, Suzhou Art Mseum, China
09 Art Changsha, Hunan Museum, Changsha, China
Conversation With Chinese Contemporary Sculpture, Milennium Park, Chicaco, USA
State Legacy – Research in the visualisation of political history Manchester, MMU, UK
Spectacle — to each his own, Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei