Portrait

Shen Hongbiao’s sculpture explores a teasing contrast of form — dense material such as steel, bronze or stone shaping softer, fluid interpretations of body and movement in an expressive and resolved style. “Portrait” depicts a Mongolian man, a culture frequently and emphatically returned to by Hongbiao, and holds a sense of peace that implies the artist’s interest in environmental tranquility. A subtle Accentuation of symmetry brings the piece between image and icon, the flairs and accents expressive of Hongbiao’s favour for the cultures of the Han & Wei Dynasties, where Eastern modes of practice were opened up to a new artistic freedom.