Wei
Chair
1996 (designed), 2004 (made)
1996 (designed), 2004 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Shao Fan is a sculptor and painter who freely experiments with various media. His name is often immediately associated with his reconstructed, or rather, deconstructed Chairs (?) series of 1996 of which this chair, based on the Chinese character ‘wei’ is a part.
'Wei' conveys the idea 'to protect' or 'to defend'. This chair is formed of parts from a dismantled 'guan mao' (official's hat) style chair (so called because of its resemblance to the shape of a scholars' headgear).
But the artist's deconstructivist manipulation does not stop there. In shaping the form of the chair, Shao Fan inverts the character 'wei' into its mirror image, and then gives it a third dimension by bringing the arm forward towards the viewer, a gesture that might suggests some protection for the person taking the seat.
'Wei' conveys the idea 'to protect' or 'to defend'. This chair is formed of parts from a dismantled 'guan mao' (official's hat) style chair (so called because of its resemblance to the shape of a scholars' headgear).
But the artist's deconstructivist manipulation does not stop there. In shaping the form of the chair, Shao Fan inverts the character 'wei' into its mirror image, and then gives it a third dimension by bringing the arm forward towards the viewer, a gesture that might suggests some protection for the person taking the seat.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Wei (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | MDF with catalpa and Chinese elm wood |
| Brief description | 'Wei' chair, MDF with catalpa and Chinese elm wood, designed in 1996 and made in 2004 by Shao Fan, Beijing. |
| Physical description | Chair made of joined MDF and wooden parts. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Copy number | 1/12 |
| Credit line | Given by Pearl Lam |
| Summary | Shao Fan is a sculptor and painter who freely experiments with various media. His name is often immediately associated with his reconstructed, or rather, deconstructed Chairs (?) series of 1996 of which this chair, based on the Chinese character ‘wei’ is a part. 'Wei' conveys the idea 'to protect' or 'to defend'. This chair is formed of parts from a dismantled 'guan mao' (official's hat) style chair (so called because of its resemblance to the shape of a scholars' headgear). But the artist's deconstructivist manipulation does not stop there. In shaping the form of the chair, Shao Fan inverts the character 'wei' into its mirror image, and then gives it a third dimension by bringing the arm forward towards the viewer, a gesture that might suggests some protection for the person taking the seat. |
| Other number | S9615 - serial number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.328-2005 |
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| Record created | December 23, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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