SUI JIANGUO (Born 1956)
Red Dinosaur / Made in China – 2002
Painted polyester resin
Molded signature and numbering /1000
Edition Galerie Loft, Paris

Chinese sculptor born in 1956 in Qingdao, Shandong province, China. In 1980, Sui Jianguo entered the Shandong Arts Academy and specialized in sculpture. From 1986 to 1989, he studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China. He currently lives in Beijing, China, where he is still a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Director of the Sculpture Department at the Academy of Fine Arts, it is thanks to Sui Jianguo that abstract and conceptual sculpture has been accepted by Chinese authorities. Going beyond China's borders, he is arguably one of the most promising sculptors of the 21st century.

By sculpting his bomber jacket in the image of Mao Zedong, he wants to involve every compatriot in his process of introspection. This jacket, desired by Sun Yat-sen in 1911 and worn by millions of people in China, symbolizes the founding of an era that marked an entire generation, an extraordinarily powerful cultural symbol.

The newest red dinosaur, from 2002 (a symbol of both imperial and communist China), has »Made in China" engraved on its chest, a nod to the plastic toys from the beginning of China's economic boom. This time, it symbolizes a millennia-old China awakening to the contemporary world.»