Chen Wenling: Communism, Consumerism and Childhood

Red Memory
Chen Wen Ling was born in the tiny village of Anxi in Quanzhou, the Fujian Province of China. Despite coming from such humble beginnings, Chen is now recognised as one of the top ten contemporary sculptors in the international art industry, having exhibited in numerous prestigious exhibitions, such as Art Basel in Switzerland and the Shanghai Biennale. 


Red Memory
Chen's sculptures usually delve into examinations of humanity and society- they are manifestations of extreme humanity and immaterial images that are derived from China's modern consumerist society, a stark contrast from their Communist past. Each sculpture holds multiple meanings, visual metaphors for the messages he tries to convey about his views on this world we live in.  While a single sculpture can be representative of many things, they are never too hard to interpret. Although they are surreal and highly figurative, Chen's notions are familiar to us, he discusses concepts from how one deals with greed and consumerism in our society to something as simple as childhood. 


Red Memory- Stop Staring at Me
For example, in his "Red Memory" series, the use of the colour red symbolises not only communism but also his fiery attitude towards life. The Red Boys are naked and free with nothing to hide. They are simple and true, communicating directly with nature and society, a commentary of all the facades one usually puts on to fit in. The boys are posed dynamically with cheeky expressions all across their face. They demand attention, calling audiences to look at them, such that they too may embrace their inner child. It is a celebration of the simplicity of life that surrounds the individual, as opposed to the relentless pursuit of materialism.


Chen Wen Ling Exhibits in Chicago
The size of his sculptures range from ginormous to tiny, from just big enough to sit on a bookshelf to being some stories high. This piece belongs to the latter category, and was displayed and exhibited in Millennium Park, Chicago. It critiques the heightened commercialism and materialism that has seized Chinese society in recent years. A large, red, grotesque human mouth extends a long, crane-like tongue, to which a gold pig and two humans hang. The pig represents wealth, a local symbol from his hometown. This symbol of wealth is coveted by the two human figures, also painted in gold. They hang on, obsessed with it, absorbed in the manic delight of material possession. The mouth comes to represent Chinese society, which has laid this as a trap for the humans, to ensnare them in its grasp and to possibly even swallow all of them up.


港湾Harbor 
Despite their heavy tones, Chen Wen Ling's sculptures still maintain a sense of whimsy and playfulness. They remind us that although the world we live in is dark and bleak, it is possible to laugh at it or even laugh with it. This is one of the reasons behind his continued success, as people are drawn towards his capricious world view. In 1999, he received the Venice Biennial International Prize of the Golden Lion in Italy and not long after, he received the Alpert Award in the Arts in the United States. In 2005, he received the award for best installation in the Museum for Inopportune in France. After his impressive display of the Red Memory series in both Cottesloe and Bondi Beach in Australia, Chen Wen Ling was recently invited to return to exhibit in Denmark in 2013 following his extensively well-received 2011 exhibition.