Lot 1050
  • 1050

JU MING (ZHU MING) | Taichi Series

Estimate
3,000,000 - 5,000,000 HKD
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Description

  • Ming Ju
  • Taichi Series
  • Left: incised with the artist's signature in Chinese, and dated '91Right: incised with the artist's signature in Chinese, and dated '91
  • wood
  • Left: 23.5 by 21.2 by 49.7 cm; 9 ¼ by 8 ⅜ by 19 ½ in.Right: 60.1 by 25 by 50.4 cm; 23 ⅝ by 9 ⅞ by 19 ⅞ in.

Provenance

Important Private Asian Collection

Condition

Both works are in good and their original condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."

Catalogue Note

My wood sculpture art has been in constant pursuit of “communication between man and nature.” The form and quality of my art are as such: I am a “human,” using the natural material of “wood,” engaging in an expression of “unity between man and nature.”
Ju Ming

Ju Ming’s world-famous Taichi Series was created over a span of nearly thirty years, manifesting in three different stages. Ju Ming once explained the stages as such: “The first stage took place when I was just beginning to understand taichi. I used photographs as references, and employed a technique that was more inclined toward realism. In the second stage, with a deepening understanding of taichi, I gradually broke free from the constraints of the fixed positions, and began to exhibit the distinct characteristics of certain movements during the process of transitioning from one position to another. At the same time, I was ceaselessly simplifying the form, increasing the sense of volume and the sense of space. In the third stage, after further simplification, the taichi arch emerged.  Although the taichi arch evolved from the taichi routine of pushing hands, it is completely free from the shackles of the taichi positions, and allowed me to amply exercise my imagination.” The lot on offer at this evening sale, Taichi Series (Lot 1050) belongs to the stage of the Taichi Arch, and like other Taichi Arch pieces, is derived from the pushing hands routine. The piece presents the moment at which the two fighters’ hands and feet intersect. The fighter on the right kicks forward, while the fighter on the left raises a soft arm to block and resolve the attack, the meeting of light and heavy, of attack and defence, creating a subtle equilibrium of force. In this way, it demonstrates an interchange of yin and yang, of real and false, to tremendous and marvellous effect.

The Taichi Series came to a conclusion in 1991. By that time, Ju Ming had become exceedingly adept at handling the unique texture of wood, and this wood sculpture was completed at what can be considered the height of the artist’s career. The patterns in the sculpture are entirely the natural grains of the wood, which the artist rendered with virtuosity in a spirit of achieving unity and oneness with nature. The Gate of Wisdom is the first piece in the Taichi Arch series, the artist’s final series. It currently serves as a landmark at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, displayed in front of the university’s library. This Taichi Series and the Gate of Wisdom are remarkably similar in form, as well as in their magnificent grandeur.

This work is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity issued by Nonprofit Organization Juming Culture and Education Foundation