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Zhong Kui, Chinese Designer Warrior

Many trips to China and five years of studying Mandarin and Chinese culture have led me to believe that the country is indifferent to its past; it is willing to sacrifice its historical buildings and monuments in its headlong rush into industrialized modernity. Nevertheless, modern, industrialized China sends reproductions of its antique sculptures and paintings to markets worldwide.

Drawing from the work of old masters of Chinese painting, I have created a series of mixed media works using ink, watercolour, photography and manipulated images. They depict Zhong Kui, a hero portrayed in many different contexts. Zhong Kui is a mythological warrior reputed to kill evil ghosts that lurk in the homes of Chinese citizens. He was first celebrated during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (712-756.) His likeness can be found reproduced on household gates in Chinese homes. He continues to be honored as a guardian spirit, a reminder of the important role which mythology and legends still play in modern China.

Although many modern Chinese would still recognize Zhong Kui as I have depicted him, I have given him a new, contemporary context. Past artists have portrayed him as an intrepid warrior, fiercely protecting his domain. I transform him into a fashion icon, worthy to strut down any catwalk.

In these mixed-media artworks, Zhong Kui wears Hermes scarves, Dior belts, Yves St-Laurent swords, Bruno Magli shoes, and Rolex watches. If clothes make the man, he is a super hero. He now bridges two worlds, alternating between the esteemed ancestor and the fashionably modern male model. He is an ancestor who validates both the past and the present.

Adorned and accessorized, Zhong Kui represents more than just fashion and surface. The historic alternates with the contemporary. The ancient warrior in his designer duds offers a humorous poke both at modern China’s counterfeiting of designer goods, and the exaggerated position these luxury articles hold in society today.