target

2008, Beijing; 570x320x450cm, fiber glass

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The central piece of the exhibition is a huge, painted sculpture of Mao Zedong. Lin made the sculpture according to a famous photo showing Mao aiming with a gun. Legend has it that this was the only time ever he had taken a gun. The Chinese leader’s emblematic figure, even though over life-size, is not represented as a hero but rather as an individual, neither perfect nor intangible, but human and touchable. Maybe this is the reason why the leader seems to know where to aim at.

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--Martina Köppel-Yang