This work, made from painted bronze, is part of the Legacy Mantle (1997) series, a huge body of sculpture which investigates the imagery surrounding Mao Zedong. In this series, Sui takes iconography associated with Chairman Mao, most notably the tunic suit, and presents it at different scales and in differing combinations and materials. The works have been exhibited all over the world, including a three-metre high version sited outside the Asian Society in New York to announce the exhibition Art and China’s Revolution in 2008.

Sui’s use of the iconic suit has been described by Melissa Chiu, Director of the Asia Society as, ‘symbolising Mao’s legacy and may be viewed as both nostalgic and critical, mirroring the views of the artist and many Chinese people of his generation’.

Courtesy the artist and Galerie Scheffel