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ArchiveBorn 1965 in Nanjing
Shen Jingdong - 沈敬東- work taps into the vulnerability of the venerable by examining heroes of China's Cultural Revolution – most notably, members of the military. Serving in the military drama troupe for 16 years provided the artist ample exposure to military life and time to consider soldiers as sentient beings, rather than mere emblems of Communist thought. The plastic, manufactured soldiers Shen paints is in contrast to the observed humanity from his experience, but allows one to view these cultural icons as government play things gazing out with placid, unquestioning expressions. The mix of ideological and consumerist subject matter definitively places Shen's work -- alongside works by Takashi Murakami - in the post-pop period, attempting to digest the nation's transition into a consumer-driven society. Despite the controversy surrounding his work, pieces have already been collected by the Today Art Museum, the China National Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Retreat Museum in Singapore.
 Shen Jingdong 沈敬東, Soldier Family, 2008, oil on canvas, 200 x 300 cm / 78.74 x 118.11 in. |
