SuiJianGuo “The birth of Legacy Mantle” documentation show opening in Melbourne.

“Legacy Mantle, as the gift that is the work of art offers solicitations to hitherto unseen figures prompting new imaginings and ethical encounters. The work of sculpture lays open a potentially transformative space where the distance and chill of the gaze turns to the hand and to touch. In the spirit of its nomenclature, there is a ghostly coming to presence that touches each of us.” - Written by Dr Elizabeth Presa (Head of the Center for Ideas, Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), The University of Melbourne) in the introductory essay for Sui Jianguo’s documentation show “The Birth of Legacy Mantle”, of which she’s also the curator. Sui Jianguo works in VCA, 1997 Professor Elizabeth Presa

In 1997, as a fellowship of “Asia Young Scholar Communication Foundation” of Melbourne University, Sui JianGuo went to the Department of Sculpture of Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in Melbourne University, conducting his 6-week visit and communication. It was within his one and half month stay in VCA overseas that Sui created the very first edition of Legacy Mantle based on Mao , through his recall of the history of mainland and Hong Kong at then about to return, and his reflection on Chinese people’s life in 20th century. Mao Suit, designed by Sun Yat-Sen and highly praised by and the following generations, was abstracted to a solemn and grave cultural symbol in Legacy Mantle. It not only represents the national elite as well as the mass’s suffering and persistent pursuing of national independence and liberation in the last century, but also embodies the difference between two parties caused by domestic chaos and foreign aggression, partisan strife resulted from endless war, and thus the miserable history of social turbulence and people’s long suffering.

Sui Jianguo’s works in VCA, in 1997

Coming back to China, Sui continued his experiment. After 6 trials of different scale, he completed his large scale sculpture Legacy Mantle of 2.4 meters high and 5 tones weight. In September 1999, this piece of Legacy Mantle participated the “Century Sculpture Exhibition, 1970-2000” on Avenue des Champs Elysees in Paris and aroused overwhelming attentions both in domestic and overseas. It then became one of the most representative sculptural artworks in Chinese contemporary art

“What to do and how to do" with Chinese contemporary sculpture - referring to such questions, Sui suggested his reflexive approach in Legacy Mantle 20 years ago, which was directly taking the form of academic realism in a deconstructive way, employing daily life images that represent both individual and social public experiences, abstracting and shaping such images to highly- recognizable and ideology-implying symbols with cultural and artistic significance. In the following six years, Sui continued to construct ideological symbols in realistic sculpture, and developed a series of artworks, including The Veins Study, Made in China, Sleeping Mao, and many others.

The Clothes Vein Study, Shanghai Biennal,2000 The Sleep of Reason, AAMSF, 2005 Art6 Gallery in Docklans The opening ceremony.

20 years later, Sui brought his Legacy Mantle and related materials back to Melbourne to his small documentation exhibition “The birth of Legacy Mantle” in Art 6 gallery, Docklands. There, Sui and the professors from VCA met each other again in the opening ceremony. Jon Cattapan, Dean of VCA, delivered a speech. Back in 1997, Cattapan was the director of the Department of Drawing and met Sui at then. He highly appreciated Sui for securing the inspiration in creating Legacy Mantle, an artwork conceived overseas yet critical to his art life. It is also a very successful international art communication case and VCA would like to continue strengthening exchange between China and Australia.

Art6 gallery manager Chris and The foundor of Xin Jin Shan School VCA Director Jon Cattapan. In Melbourne, Mr.Sun Haoliang.

At the invitation of Cattapan, Sui went to VCA for his return visit the day after the opening. With the accompany of Professor Elizabeth Presa, Sui visited the coming VCA masters graduation exhibition and the Department of Sculpture where he worked 20 years ago.

Sui Jianguo visit VCA and the Master Graduation Exhibition. Through the creation of Legacy Mantle, Sui built a historical monument in the shape of Mao Suit, which could no longer be seen in Chinese people’s daily life but presents itself on every individual in terms of perception and ideology. This extraordinary art creation is not only a physical embodiment of a hundred year’s revolutionary spirit, but also a precise implication of Chinese cultural discourse and spiritual confusion that lasted thousands of years. As a social cultural symbol, though came into its shape 20 years ago, Legacy Mantle is still a brilliant representation of the state of Chinese society and Chinese people.

Sui Jianguo’s drawing on Mao Jacket, 1997