Sui Jianguo (隋建國) is an artist from Qingdao based in Beijing. He is currently Professor and Chairman of the Department of Sculpture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. His works include large sculptures of the iconic Mao suit, aka Zhongshan fu (中山装), one of which was previously on display at the Qingdao Sculpture Park, since removed (though the box frame from the original work is still there, pictured below). Other well known works by the artist are huge fiberglass toy dinosaurs and various installations with rocks.
More on Sui from Artzine China.
He didn’t create a Mao suit sculpture until he went to Australia as a visiting scholar. During a discussion with some other scholars there, Sui says someone said they could not understand the Chinese people. And Sui says he responded with a joke about how Chinese wear the same clothes, eat the same things, but are very different inside – and you can’t always see that.
“I said, ‘They wear western clothes now, but inside they all have their own inner Mao suit.'”
Relevant Links:
Sui Jianguo Official Website
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