About Wang Keping

Wang Keping is one of the founders of contemporary Chinese art. He was one of the founders of the first non-conformist group of artists, Xing Xing (The Stars), which formed the basis of avant-garde art in China, a movement which also included the now world-famous artist, Ai Wei Wei. Wang Keping played a key role in the Chinese cultural revolution of the 1970s with his politically charged wooden sculptures, which led him to move to Paris in 1984, where he still lives today.

Wang Keping’s sculptures seem to be an amalgamation of prehistoric archaeological finds mixed with influences from twentieth century Western sculpture. His wooden sculptures are regarded as one of the most important international contributions to contemporary sculpture. In his works he explores all the possibilities of the material in a traditional way and with unprecedented dedication. He describes his practice as follows: “I am a sculptor and sand with my hands.” His work embraces the properties of the various types of wood that the artist selects. This is followed by an aesthetic and spiritual quest inspired by, among other things, Taoist philosophy, and the ancient sculptures of the Han dynasty, as well as the popular arts of rural China.

Wang Keping searches for essence in his subjects, in his work the human body occupies an important place. The political message from his earlier works no longer plays as prominent a role in his more recent work. The artist is now mainly interested in the formal aspects of his sculptures. He cuts parts of the human body as heavy, round, and spherical and twists these parts to create recognizable, yet distorted forms. As can also be seen in his Ressemblance and Renaissance sculptures. Although the sculptures are made of bronze, Wang does not deviate from the dark brown, polished look of the wood and the two materials can hardly be distinguished from each other.