Sculptor Sui Jianguo’s Central Park Debut

Sui Jianguo, Blind Portraits at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza.
Photo: Courtesy Public Art Fund.
Sui Jiangu, Blind Portraitsat the Doris C. Freedman Plaza.Photo: ©Jess Zhang.

Sculptures from Sui Jianguo’s “Blind Portraits” series, at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza in Central Park.
Photo: ©Jess Zhang.

Guess what? If you walk into the Doris C. Freedman Plaza, at the southeast entrance of Central Park, you will encounter something unusual, even strange: four huge sculptures by internationally famed Chinese sculptor Sui Jianguo.

It is the first time a Chinese artist’s work occupies this plaza, which is named for the founder of the Public Art Fund.

Born in Qingdao in 1956, Sui received his master’s degree at Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) and currently is director of CAFA’s department of sculpture.

The sculptures on view in the park are part of Sui’s “Blind Portraits” series, and were created using a unique process. The artist began by working blindfolded with mounds of clay, creating small abstract “portraits” which were then selected for digital enlargement and eventually cast in bronze. Sui began the series in 2008.

The plein air exhibit, which opened October 28, will be on view until February 20, 2015.

oct-30-2014-sui-jianguo-02-jpg

Sculptures from Sui Jianguo’s “Blind Portraits” series, at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza.
Photo: Courtesy Public Art Fund.


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