Mao Xuhui

signed in Chinese and dated 1994.11.28

Xin Dong Space for Contemporary Art, Beijing
Sotheby's, New York, 21 March 2007, lot 114
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

Mao Xuhui, Xin Dong Cheng Publishing House, Beijing, China, 2005, p. 186

This work is generally in good condition with minor wear in handling around the edges. There is a small chip to the paint in the lower-left quadrant and a minor crack to the paint in the lower-central portion of the work only visible upon close examination. When examined under ultraviolet light, there appears to be no evidence of restoration.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Daily Epic, Dead Nature, Harmony in Red, created in 1994, is an important work during a key period for Mao Xuhui that marked the end of the artist’s “Parent” series and the beginning of his “Scissor” series. Daily Epic, Dead Nature, Harmony in Red incorporates the chair image, which is a symbol of the “Parent” series, and also the scissor image, which would become a key symbol for the artist. The chair, the key symbol of the “Parent” series, represents authority, but also alludes to the societal and political conditions in China at the time, while at the same time hinting at the central unit of Chinese culture: the family. In 1994, the artist attempted to return to the subject of private space, and shifted his focus from society to the inner life of the individual. He began to portray everyday objects, and Daily Epic, Dead Nature, Harmony in Red is an important work from this period of exploration. The painting portrays one corner of the artist's studio. The chair holds the centre of the tableau, and the floor is cluttered with miscellaneous objects: a wine bottle, a hot water bottle, wastepaper, sneakers, and so on. A tea kettle and some painting implements occupy the seat of the chair, as well as a particularly dazzling pair of red scissors. The artist recalls this period: “I assembled things at random, returning to a state of ‘self-amusement’, and revisiting my ‘Private Space’ series of the 1980s”. Nonetheless, the image of scissors began to capture the artist's attention. “Later, I realised that the scissors image and the symbol from ‘Parents’ were startlingly similar”. In Daily Epic, Dead Nature, Harmony in Red, we see the scissors and the chair together, demonstrating the artist had not changed his original intention of exploring the concept of authority. Indeed, this painting was a preview of the future, in which the scissors image would become the central metaphor in a new series by the artist.