believer & breeder, 2017
Tin cast, Boy: 8.3 x 6 x 14 cm, Monkey King: 7 x 6.3 x 12.2 cm / AWARE OF ANOTHER
The two tin sculptures believer & breeder are Chinese good-luck charms. The “Monkey King” (“Journey to the West”, Illustration from the 18th century) sits and waits on a rock of a Flower-Fruit mountain just before departing for a journey. He embodies a rebel with supernatural powers, who rises against the authorities. According to the myth he is becoming an immortal king of the apes, who creates turmoil in heaven.The boy figurine is the embodiment of the modern version of the following scene: the monkey transforms into a human form and thinks, he flew to the end of the universe. There, he encounters five columns. He urina-tes against the columns to mark his territory and claim ownership. Upon flying back, he realizes that the Buddha Sun Wukong transformed his fingers and turned them into the stated columns. Therefore, the monkey never left the palm of the Buddha.
The material tin is used for casting figurines, especially tin soldiers.This sculpture is a decorative trophy being a combination of a historical statue and a toy element with its flying and awaiting LEGO® pigeons.The hybridization and overlay of history and the significance of culture is unified in this work and the mundane yet sacred title believer & breeder is like a hint to the recurring relation between power and nature.
