Artwork Description

Title: Great Man’s Gaze
Artist: Zhanyang Li
Date: [Date not provided]
Medium: Glass fiber
Dimensions:

Total composition: 311 × 150 × 310 cm

Individual components:
 • Mao: 109 × 150 × 94 cm
 • Lie: 110 × 150 × 93 cm
 • Ma: 110 × 150 × 93 cm
 • Si: 108 × 150 × 93 cm
 • Central base: 82 × 21 × 93 cm
(All dimensions approximate)

1. Artwork Identification
Great Man’s Gaze is a monumental sculptural installation by Zhanyang Li, constructed from glass fiber and comprising five major human-like busts arranged in dialogue atop a central base. With a combined width of over three meters, the work commands a powerful spatial presence. Each component represents an archetypal figure, their gaze collectively converging into a symbolic axis. The work’s Title: and scale suggest a meditation on leadership, legacy, and collective memory.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Zhanyang Li’s sculptural language navigates between realism and conceptual formalism. The polished yet tactile surfaces of the busts are evocative of Socialist Realist traditions while also engaging in contemporary reinterpretation. The choice of glass fiber introduces a modern materiality that allows both strength and lightness. The arrangement of figures recalls classical friezes or memorial tableaux, filtered through a critical postmodern lens.

3. Historical Context
Emerging from China’s post-1990s sculptural renaissance, Great Man’s Gaze resonates with themes of authority, political symbolism, and the visual language of public monuments. Li's work explores how figures of influence are canonized or questioned in the cultural psyche. By reconfiguring the format of state-sanctioned commemorative sculpture, the artist reflects on both historical iconography and its disassembly in a contemporary age of reinterpretation.

4. Provenance and Authenticity
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
Great Man’s Gaze is in excellent condition. The glass fiber construction is structurally sound, with no surface deterioration or visible damage. Standard conservation protocol for composite sculpture applies: clean with non-abrasive methods and display in an environment free from direct exposure to UV light and extreme humidity fluctuations.

Summary
With Great Man’s Gaze, Zhanyang Li presents a powerful sculptural meditation on collective memory, political symbolism, and the visual power of representation. Imposing in scale yet refined in execution, this work occupies a commanding space between homage and critique, making it an exceptional centerpiece for collections focused on contemporary Chinese conceptual art and monumental form.