THE METAPHORICAL LAMB
THE ART OF WURIGEN
Theodore Cantrell
Wurigen is one of China’s leading contemporary artists. His works are a reflection of his life experiences of growing up on the grasslands of Mongolia, and his experiences of being part of China’s and the West’scontemporary art world. His works are collected and exhibited both internationally and throughout China. He has participated in many famous exhibitions both inside and outside of China. The sculptures of the “Lamb” by Wurigen, use this historic, cultural and religious symbol as a metaphor for issues dealing with our contemporary existence. In many cases symbols from different cultures would stop at their respective borders; however Wurigen in these works has transcended the borders of different cultures and arrived at a universal re-interpretation of this cultural symbolic icon.The lamb has retained it original ancient meaning and at the same time it has reinvented itself to become a symbol of today. The works in this series being discussed are three standing figures of a lamb. The first is called “Sky and Grassland”. It’s a large standing figure.The lamb’s body is made of a clear substance and inside we can see objects floating. Theyare objects which are clearly involved with our existence. The most visible are the “McDonald” wrappers(details figs 4, 5). Has the lamb consumed a symbol of our consumption, or has the symbol adapted to the reality of the new worship of the world, or has the lamb reinterpreted itself? The sculpture called “After Man Becomes God” is a work similar to “Sky and Grassland”in its construction except inside the lamb you now can see the faint outline of ribs and bones. The lamb is almost a skeleton and almost a form. Laid out beneath the lamb is its skin. The lamb has been flayed, leaving a ghostly Sky and Grassland, 33.5″ x 19.5″ x 44.5″ image of its former self behind. Is this the new god man will make of himself? Must man leave his skin behind to be reborn as a god? The lamb waits silently for its new life to begin. The work called “Crossroads” is a life sized lamb standing in a symbolic crossroad. The lamb’s bodyis again made of a clear substance, but this time with a more crystal like look to it. It has a cracked ice like look to it, and the object inside this time is a single bloody rib (detail figs 11, 12). The book Genesis of the Bible tells while Adam (the first man) slept God took one of his ribs and used it to create Eve (the first woman). This symbolic act, recreated by Wurigen in his lamb, transforms the lamb into a new being.
Wurigen has acted as God and recreated the lamb, and he has also placed the new being in a new crossroad, which is symbolized by the platform on which the lamb stands. This platform can be seen as a symbol of the world. Lines crisscross its surface creating a multitude of intersections almost like crossroads covering this grey, metallic world. This could be seen as the place where the paths of life converge for modern man. Where he chooses a new direction just like Adam and Eve did when they bit the apple. The symbolism is clear; we are at a crossroad in this world. The lamb, which is a
cultural symbol in Mongolian history, and also a Western symbol of sacrifice, purity, and piety, is placed at the center of this crossroad. The lamb in the crossroadis standing frozen still waiting for a sign in order to choose a direction. The clear substance of the lamb both lets light in and redirects it outward. Twisting the illumination as it reflects onto the floor surrounding the lamb, and also as it diffuses in the lamb’s body. The light itself is transformed by the lamb into a symbol of revelation, which arrived purely, but has been distorted, by the body of the lamb.The meaning of the lamb is clear but the direction it should take is left open. Where do the converging roads of the crossroads lead us? What is the sacrifice that needs to be made? These are the questions ever new epoch in human history must answer. And it is where we are today. All these works combine Wurigen’s beliefs about our existence, and his different life’s experiences. They are part of Mongolia, China and a part of the West in their conception. And inside the lamb just like inside all of us, are objects which are clearly involved with our existence. In some there are ribs(apotent symbolic object from the ancient Bible), in others
contemporary objects of our new Bible, the worship of consumerism. And in the sculpture called “Crossroads” the fragmented, distorted inside, which distorts the clear light itself, combined with the single bloody rib, is a reflection of the new, disjointed, and hesitant choices we now faceat the symbolic crossroad of our time.
