ACROBAT BY GOU JIN · BABY SOLDIER BY ZHANG XIAOGANG

An antique Spanish trading post was the venue for a fresh clash between east and west. The artist Jiang Jie exhibited his sculpture “Be” yellow head in 2002 on this Mallorquin terrain during an exhibition tour through Europe which focused on China. The stylised children’s head is of monumental size and at first glance seems to be completely uniform. However, it emerges from a unique special effect on space, which is due to the single luminous colouring that completely overshadows nearby objects. Combined with the teachings of the controversial former Chinese leader Mao, it represents a journey through the repositioning of China in the last decades, beginning with the tragic consequences of the Mao legacy at a time when the country was suffering tremendously, followed by the current status of China in the modern world – a giant looking down on western civilisation. The V8 therefore appears to be the ambassador for the western world, confronted by a critical but accepting eastern culture, embodied by the yellow face.