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Flatulence Makes the Sculpt Grow Fonder
As part of its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, The Obama Administration is trying to put forth arguments to target the dairy industry in order to control the methane gas produced from bovine flatulence. If they just viewed the work of Chinese sculptor Chen Wenling they might have all the proof they need. Unaware of the EPA bovine plans, the sculpture titled ‘What You See Might Not Be Real’. Wenling uses his sculpture to present his view on the global financial crisis. The strong and farting bull represents Wall Street. "放屁", Chinese for 'fart' is also a slang term for nonsense, used when they think someone is lying or bluffing them. And the man being shoved into the wall is Bernard Madoff who was sentenced to 150 years in prison because of his Ponzi scheme.
Wenling states that his is art is inspired by cultural events. However, one piece, Suspense, a hippopotamus swallowing a human figure while suspended from the ceiling represents a darker time in Chen Wenling’s life. It was inspired by a personal incidence where Chen Wenling was attacked and stabbed over 20 times by 3 robbers on a beach in March 1996 while protecting his wife (then girlfriend) in what was known as the bloodiest crime scene in Xiamen's history. The wall next to the sculpture hangs a picture of the crime scene with Chen's explanation written across it by hand.
Chen Wenling (b.1969 in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China) from Anxi, China is recognized as one of the top ten contemporary sculptors in the international art industry today, exhibiting in a number of prestigious exhibitions such as Art Basel in Switzerland and the Shanghai Biennale. Chen Wen Ling graduated from Xiamen Academy of Art where he studied in the sculpture department and followed by Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Currently he works and lives in Beijing as a professional artist.
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