MAO XUHUI (b. 1956)

In 2007, the art historian and curator Lu Peng invited a group of Chinese contemporary artists including Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Xiaogang, Zhou Chunya, Ye Yongqing, Yue Minjun, Wang Guangyi, Mao Xuhui, Wu Shanzhuan, and Zhang Peili to gather at a resort of Sanya for a ‘brush event’. The artists were asked to explore traditional medium of ink and color using brush on rice paper in reinterpreting the most recognizable themes and imageries within their oeuvre.  Like the Orchid Pavilion gathering organized by Wang Xizhi in the Six Dynasties, the Sanya gathering after 1600 years brought contemporary artists together for mutual inspiration and artist creation, reviving the great literati traditional in the Chinese history.

Mao Xuhui is a leading figure in the Southwest Art Group that stemmed from the 85 New Wave Art Movement. Paternalism Red draws from the artist’s “parent series.” In this series, instead of depicting family and hierarchy in the traditional way, Mao uses a chair to symbolize position and power. Using the media of ink and red color to create this composition, Mao imbues the work with a somber tone recalling tradition and ancestral family. The union of traditional skill and unique symbolism energizes the work with sparks of re-innovation.