Outer Appearance and Inner Mindscape

Su Xinping's latest works bring me back to my appraisal of his earlier works. In the early 90's, the mystical grassland of Su Xinping's prints formed the artist's unique trademark. His was not the viewpoint of the agrarian, rural or Mongolian. Rather, it belonged to that of an intellectual, foreigner and urban dweller. The vast fields, Mongolian robes and white horses were seen from the eyes of a spectator. Using ultra realistic technique to formulate a surrealistic language, an estranged artistic setting was also used to symbolize the changing environment. 1995 was the point of transition for Su Xinping. Although the print, Tree of Life, may still come from the perspective of a detached bystander, it has already departed from a purely spiritual depiction to hint at underlying metaphors on society. Symbolically abstracted by the artist, the Mongolian robes and grasslands have their traditional meaning completely displaced. What is left in the painting is the distinct feeling of modem-day living - distress and chaos. This artwork seemed to be overloaded with energy, suggesting of an eminent explosion. The work Century Tower, created a year later can be regarded as a more advanced manifestation of the same concept, with the human subjects now clothed in secular attire.
Also launched in 1995 is the Sea of Desire series that hint of even stronger societal allegories. The artist then moved on to paint the same subject in oil, Here, the people with "desires" have scurried beyond the spiritual grasslands. To this the artist says, "money and material objects have become man's only purpose and belief. In the face of such a reality, traditional virtues are being discarded. There lies no friendship between man, moral integrity is on the verge of collapsing and humanity is lost, Once again, man has lost his senses in yet another shift in history." In his paintings, one sees the proliferation of the savage faces of desire. There was a time when the ethical China became the radical and revolutionary China. When the Cultural Revolution ended, there were paradigm shifts in human nature and desires. With the receding of moral and revolutionary aspirations, manifestations of desires surfaced everywhere. Interestingly, the curb against such desires is no longer moral values but legislation. There lies the difference between China of today and yesterday.
Su Xinping's social commentaries in the late 90's were a diversion from his earlier spiritual tendencies. The incorporation of personal factors and societal references meant that his works now bear the traits of a specific cultural time frame. One such idea frequently illustrated is the notion of loss and the absence of a spiritual core in humans, As with his past depictions of the grassland, the herdsmen and white horses remained, but that only applies strictly to the external appearance, the absence of the self is still the real underlying meaning. In this aspect, the Sea of Desire presents a continuous narrative. Emphasizing on the absence of the spirit beyond the outer facade of his subjects, the artist uses it as a tool for social critique. I do not think that the artist has totally abandoned portraying his personal mindscape. Although many of his oil paintings like the Banquet, the Stranded Man, the Vacation, increasingly depict underlying societal metaphors, his most recent works like Sleep-walking, Shadow and Magic retain the sense of soliloquy. Such is the introspective touch that the artist has always possessed.