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M+ Sigg Collection, Hong Kong, © Wang Keping
Wang Keping 王克平
Fist 拳頭
1981
Fist is a wooden sculpture of a clenched fist that stands on its forearm. The fingers are wrapped tightly around a full-bodied figure of a woman, represented by rounded abstract forms. The thumb smothers the woman’s head, and the hand seems to trap her arms and lower legs behind her. Tiny depressions have been carved into the hand and forearm to create a highly textured surface. The woman’s body is smooth and lighter in tone. Fist marks the first appearance of this female figure, which became a recurring motif in Wang Keping’s later work.
Wang is a self-taught artist who began making sculptures after facing repeated censorship for his plays. His political activism continued in his early sculptures. Here, figurative forms are depicted in a manner evocative of the oppressive working environment in China, in which abstraction and nudity were considered politically sensitive. The fist evokes a sense of strength and unity, but it also implies suppression and force, and the posture of the woman alludes to confinement and restriction. Wang’s sculptures were included in exhibitions in the 1970s and 1980s of work by the Stars Group of avant-garde artists, of which he was a founding member. After moving to France in 1984, Wang continued making sculptures inspired by natural and human forms and developed new techniques using wood and bronze.
Wang is a self-taught artist who began making sculptures after facing repeated censorship for his plays. His political activism continued in his early sculptures. Here, figurative forms are depicted in a manner evocative of the oppressive working environment in China, in which abstraction and nudity were considered politically sensitive. The fist evokes a sense of strength and unity, but it also implies suppression and force, and the posture of the woman alludes to confinement and restriction. Wang’s sculptures were included in exhibitions in the 1970s and 1980s of work by the Stars Group of avant-garde artists, of which he was a founding member. After moving to France in 1984, Wang continued making sculptures inspired by natural and human forms and developed new techniques using wood and bronze.
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