| Expose You, the latest sculptural series by Cao Hui, is characterized by a vivid imagery of animals like gorillas, pigs, cows, and sheep. The visual aspect of these animal sculptures have been exaggerated and magnified through impersonation, which renders the animals similar to the typical sculpture in classical art. At the same time his work has been coated with a similar exquisite and transparent sheen of human skin. The composed, peaceful, even naïve, expression of the characters brings a sense of grace and harmony, while the vivid details of the bones and muscles under the exposed skin touch people with a sense of fear. The contrast between peace and terror brings a sudden surprising, even horrifying tension. Cao’s work reflects his academic background in art, and his experience as a professor in sculpture. |  |
Feng Bo-Yi
Expose You, the latest sculptural series by Cao Hui, is characterized by a vivid imagery of animals like gorillas, pigs, cows, and sheep. The visual aspect of these animal sculptures have been exaggerated and magnified through impersonation, which renders the animals similar to the typical sculpture in classical art. At the same time his work has been coated with a similar exquisite and transparent sheen of human skin. The composed, peaceful, even naïve, expression of the characters brings a sense of grace and harmony, while the vivid details of the bones and muscles under the exposed skin touch people with a sense of fear. The contrast between peace and terror brings a sudden surprising, even horrifying tension. Cao’s work reflects his academic background in art, and his experience as a professor in sculpture. It is proof that he can wield his knowledge in Realism with ease, a demonstration of his artistic vision.
Cao followed the aesthetic principles of Realism in the early stage of his career. His work was simple and not perverse. The symbol and metaphor of his work was deeply influenced by traditional Realism training. In Cao’s work, Realism is no longer an old concept or a dead artistic style. In his hands, the language of Realism sculpture has been activated by modernized narration, and decoded, for the viewer, realistic existentialism. If we regard Realism as the fundamental context of an artist’s immaterial presence, we would realize that it stands for more than mere imitation of reality, but a stimulus for creative possibilities in the real world. It is an artistic means to establish a spiritual world, and to explore its inner secrets. Between the years of 2003 and 2005, Cao produced a series of sculptures titled The Children of Art History, composed of the realistic and fictive parts of classical works in global art history, including those from China. It was not only an experiment on his own work but also his attitude toward traditional classical work. In this series, he made what used to be familiar become strange to challenge the expectation of viewers, who experience pleasant surprises from a brand new aspect, and freedom from tradition. Along came a realization that what viewers saw was not the classical work from art history, but a “new” historical visual image coined in Cao’s own style. Cao reveals his thoughts and perception on tradition and modernization, the present and the future, the uncertainty of history and multiple meanings through the relationships among the individual, traditional classics, and history. He attempts to find and maintain the profundity and attraction of visual imagery. He defies the power of traditional classics with their own energy, and tries to change their function and power. Through disclosing the limits of an accepted visual model, his work confronts the authority of one-fold depiction, and standards provided by the familiar artwork, provoking thoughts through a sense of humor.
While Cao does not flaunt his skills in Realism in his latest work Expose You, his view and technique lie in his judgment of realistic situation. This judgment, filled with pathos, has less to do with a grand narration of reality or history than with what is hidden inside the bodies of animals and plants, and under exposed skin. The specific imagery of gorillas and other animals in Expose You creates a contrast between the animals’ transformed appearance with their actual existence, bringing to mind the inner conflicts and rupture caused by modernization, at the same time exuding a sense of salvation and mercifulness. Cao’s attitude toward reality and nature is revealed through the animals’ skin texture and poses. His realistic rendition of the animals possesses an effect of estrangedness and illusion. The work itself is absurd, but somehow resonates with our realistic surroundings.
According to Darwinism, gorillas are kin to human beings. Domestic animals on the other hand, are being tamed and raised by human beings. This serves as a symbol of the ecological environment. Cao draws a sharp comparison between the meek animals and the violence of nature, mirroring mankind’s greed and exploitation of resources, a bizarre scene resulting from conflicts and struggles. The influence of modernization has seeped through people’s lives, particularly embodied in people’s adoration of infinite power and excessive exploitation of nature, which aids modernization. Absurdity permeates in the paradox, contradiction, and loss of control hidden behind this process, which is the key issue Cao wants to delve into in his work. Expose You is an allegory of human life with depth and diversity. When Cao had finished this series, and presented it to the public, he completed his subversion of reality. With the imagery of animals and their perspective, Cao disassociates himself with responsibilities that come with reality intervention. In between the animals’ facade and their exposed skin, the artist collects fragments of human nature. The exaggerated expression of the sculpture manifests the artist’s personal experience and anxiety. He intentionally utilizes Superrealism in his work that acts as a witness, a representation of his consciousness. It could also be a warning for dangerous human behavior, a calling for basic humanitarianism after his meditation on life. His boldness is established on the dialogue between, and understanding of, tradition and classics. The animals’ metamorphosis in his work stands for a magical post-modern narration. His sculpture is a hybrid of the human and the animal, documenting an allegory of history and contemporariness. There is certain tension and power about his work, which adds profundity to these animals’ character and destiny. This tension ultimately renders Cao’s work raw, plangent, and honest.
Art is not a simple reflection in the mirror. It is separate from reality, an expansion of complex relationships in real life. It is not assuming complete, unconditional trust and support from the viewer at the sight of a sculpture, but replying on the boundary between imagery of actuality and surreal settings. It is a quest for a fresh outlook through surrealistic metaphors. Cao experiments and re-experiments with a basic view of reality and art, an artistic elevation and transformation of concrete imagery. Through his persistent attempts, Cao Hui looks for creative possibilities in the realm of sculpture, constantly questioning himself about the relationship between the factual and the fictional.
