Huang Gang

Share

Share

Add fave

About the artwork

Having spent his youth in China during the Cultural Revolution, this period in the country’s history features heavily in Huang Gang’s works. This sculpture depicts a female soldier who is rendered in vivid red, a colour highly symbolic of the country. The woman appears to be swinging a golf club, yet on her back she carries a rifle, a striking reminder of the period and a juxtaposition of relaxing leisure amidst mass social upheaval. The artist’s use of symbols synonymous with the Revolution in his captivating works allow for a degree of ambiguity regarding his ideological standings or political sentiments, leaving the symbols open to interpretation.

About the artist

Born in Beijing in 1961, Huang Gang studied at the China Central Academy of Art and Design, graduating with a B.A. in Fine Art, followed by an M.A. in Environmental Art in 1991. Huang Gang was surrounded by traditional Chinese art and calligraphy since he was a child and, in the 1980s, developed an interest in traditional Tibetan culture which inspired him to incorporate Tibetan methods and motifs in his work. Huang Gang’s preoccupation with traditional Chinese and Tibetan culture comes as a response to the rapid socio-economic transformation in China throughout the 1990s. Recognized internationally, Huang Gang won the Ikuo Hirayama award in 1991 and the Silver Award at the 1st Beijing International Environmental Art Exhibition in 1995.