Sui Jianguo - Biography

Biography

Sui Jianguo was born in China, within the city of Qingdao in 1956. Both Sui’s parents were factory workers and were largely absent during his early childhood due to the workload imposed on them by the Mao government. Growing up Sui got to witness the harsh realities of the Mao years. During this time Maoist socialist realism became the approved art style. This style generally portrayed Maoist ideals in a romantic positive light. These images were used to create a cult of personality for Mao. At the age of ten, schools were closed as part of the Cultural Revolution, and he began to work in the factories with his parents. In an interview he stated that he was “transfixed in the age of Mao worship, when Mao was virtually a God at home”. Painting had not been a career option for Sui until the age of eighteen when he broke his arm, which took him away from his factory work. According to Sui, during this period he had contemplated his “spiritual” life and what he wanted to do with his future. Soon after and with the permission and guidance of his father he began studying painting at night under the cover of darkness.

Upon his return to the factory Sui would paint propaganda posters of Mao in the socialist realist fashion. His studies and practice gave fruit to his first true work: a traditional Chinese landscape painting, which he completed in 1976 after the death of Mao. After the death of Mao Zedong, the Chinese government loosened its grip on the population, and educational reforms were quick to follow. Sui took advantage of the new freedoms and moved Jinan and then Shandong where he would receive his major in sculpture, a few years later he would get his master’s degree in Arts at the central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. According to Sui by the time he had enrolled in college he had decided he wanted to do sculpture, this was inspired by his previous years in the factories where people would tell him he had “skill in using his hands”. After gaining his master’s degree, Sui travelled to the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, and other places to display his art. He also worked as a guest professor or speaker at several universities outside of China. Finally, Sui returned to become chairman of the department of Sculpture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Sui became internationally prominent through the use of “naturalistic sculptures” that made use of rocks, boulders, and steel. These early sculptures brought him out into the international scene. Sui’s true acclaim came in 1997 when he crafted his first Mao suit a sculpture that imitated Chairman Mao’s communist jacket. His jackets would interest famous collectors such as Uli Sigg and help gain him recognition in the international scene.

Sui got to experience Maoist China during its twilight years, and hence had a front-row seat to Maoist communism and the effects it had on the people. Sui felt firsthand the effects of the Cultural Revolution. During this time, Sui watched as symbols of authority and tradition were destroyed and as a new Mao worshipping fervor would take hold of society. Throughout this destruction of old elitist values Chairman Mao became a central almost spiritual figure for Sui and greatly influenced his early life. Sui also got to witness the change of government between the harsh Mao and the more liberal (but still harsh) Deng Xiaoping. During this time Sui experienced movements like the June 4th Movement; this contact led him to make increasingly “radical” and “violent” artwork. This period of economic liberalization ushered in a new identity for both China and her people. After the turbulent times Sui turned away from harsh political propaganda and focused on something more “quiet;” it was in this new contemporary scene that he began working with rocks. Currently, Sui works within the limits of censorship and tends to make works that do not offend the government. This being said his works draw heavily upon the identity and self-perception of the Chinese people as a whole; this is exemplified in his Mao jackets or in his “Made in China” series. Sui’s jackets and his “Made in China” exhibit have not been censored in China, probably due to the pro Chinese stance these works take on. On the other hand he openly voices his opinions about restrictive Chinese policies through his works as evidenced by “Limited Motion”. This also may explain why several of Sui’s works are currently exhibited outside of China, or in countries that are less restrictive.

What could be considered the catalyst in this series of changes is the death of Mao Zedong. China under Mao Zedong underwent an enormous change in social, political and economical thought. Older ideas that were once revered such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and education were severely limited or banned all together. Government programs such as the Great Leap Forward (1958–1961), or the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) would have effects that still echo today in the work of Sui Jianguo. During this time period Mao became the sole figure of the People’s Communist Party, he was he most important figure for the Chinese people that existed at the time. It is then no surprise that after his death changes ensued rapidly, leaving the political and social realm ready for change . When Sui was twenty-six Deng Xiaoping became China’s new figurehead, bringing changes that would affect the economic, social and political scene.