Ju Ming (Zhu Ming)

executed in 1985, this work is number 1 from an edition of 2

Hong Kong, Exchange Square, Sculptures by Ju Ming, 1986, this edition exhibited

Sculptures by Ju Ming, National Museum, Singapore, 1986, p. 30, different edition illustrated in colour

This work is consistent with the artist's chosen medium and working method. It is in our opinion that the work is in very good condition.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This concept of simplification is also evident in highly conceptual works from earlier in Ju Ming’s career. The three Knots (Lot 1025 - 1027) featured in this special auction have an intensely minimalist and nearly abstract appearance that challenges the beholder’s visual perceptions and understanding of sculpture. The Knots, created in 1985, are an extension of the Taichi series; their origins are evident in his 1983 work, Split Taichi. For that work, the artist cleaved a tree trunk into two halves and used the simplest of lines to suggest the postures of two figures engaged in Taichi boxing. The cast bronze sculpture retains the texture of the tree bark and the shape of the trunk, but also subtly contains the figures of the practitioners, embodying the theory of unity between man and nature. Two years later, Ju Ming took the thinking behind Split Taichi to the next level when he made a small number of Knots. After making moulds of tree trunks, he die-cast flexible rubber models of them. He tied knots in these rubber models and then cast them in bronze. The naturally straight and solid tree trunks become winding, irresolvable knots that symbolise adaptability and renewal. The “man” in “unity between man and nature” is invisible in the Knots: the unity of the two concepts is contained within Ju Ming’s tacit metaphor, which puts the Knots among the most pure and representative works of Ju Ming’s creative career.