Artist Famed for Mao's Image Visits HKUST

Abstract

[evdate 1996-04-12] For release 12 April 1996

ARTIST FAMED FOR MAO'S IMAGE VISITS HKUST

Zhang Hongtu, the Chinese artist renowned for his systematic use of the late Chairman Mao

Zedong's image, will visit the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as its artist-in-residence

this month. The highlight of Zhang's one-month stay on campus will be his first exhibit in the territory, Soy

Sauce, Lipstick, Charcoal, to be held at the University Exposition Hall from 19 April to 17 May. A

retrospective of Zhang's many works, about one-third of which will cover selected works from Mater iaZ

Mao and the Chairmen Mao series. He will also give a talk at the exhibit on 20 April at 2:30 pm.

Zhang's obsession with Mao's image started in 1989 and is closely related to his past experiences

in the Chinese Mainland. In a catalog on Zhang's exhibit at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, he is quoted as

saying, "For me, Mao's image was god-like in China. What I have done is pull down this image from the

pantheon to reality. Working on Mao is one way to extricate myself from the nightmare; first I felt sinful

and fearful, now I feel nothing." The transformation of Mao from a god to a person is well exemplified in Material Mao, a series of

profiles of Mao cut out of different materials, including grain, corn soy sauce, grass and brick. "I was

moving between positive and negative space, between presence and absence, and between the iconic image

and everyday materials," Zhang explained. The versatile artist successfully transferred Mao's image to fashion last year when he

collaborated with New York-based Hong Kong fashion designer Vivienne Tam. Their daring combination

of art and fashion will be shown for the first time in Hong Kong at the Opening Ceremony of Zhang's

exhibit. To promote art education, Zhang will visit secondary schools, giving talks and organizing art

workshops. Secondary students will also be invited to guided tours of his HKUST exhibit.

Currently living in New York, the 52-year-old artist originally studied ceramics at the Central

Institute of Arts and Crafts in Beijing. In 1982, he moved to the US, where he broadened his studies at the

Art Students League in New York. In 1984, he was invited by the New York State Council on the Arts to

serve as an artist-in-residence. Last year, he was awarded a Visual Artists Fellowship Grant by the

National Endowment for the Arts. He has had five major solo exhibits, the most recent one being Material Mao at the Bronx Museum

of the Arts early this year. He has also participated in more than 30 group shows since 1980.

His visit to HKUST has been organized by the Arts Endowment Committee and sponsored by the

Academic Affairs Office. Note to Editors: You are cordially invited to attend the Opening Ceremony of the exhibit: Event: Opening C eremony of Soy Sauce, Lipstick, Charcoal and Date: Fashion Show by Marketmg Students' Association Tune: 18 April 1996 430 pm Venue: Exposition Hall (Please direct enquiries to the Office of Public Affairs at 2358 6306 or pager 71163388 call 2651.)