The first day of 2022
The newly completed giant panda sculpture on the streets of Wangjing
Finally unveiled the mysterious hijab!
The panda's rounded body is outside
I put on a silver frosted mech coat
A mech helmet with small ears on the top of the head
There is a striking Wi-Fi logo on the chest
This cute and a little cool giant panda has become the focus of people's hot discussions long before the official unveiling, and now it has become the object of everyone's competition to punch the clock. Some netizens named it "Cyber Panda"
Recently, Yi Xuanjun interviewed the creator and "post-85" pioneer artist Bi Heng to reveal the creation of this public art work behind the scenes.
Bi Heng before the new work
Creative meaning
Embody humanistic science and technology and environmental protection
Because he has lived in Wangjing for many years, this place has become Bi Heng's "second hometown". Previously, the giant panda sculpture standing on the streets of Wangjing was already covered in mottled after 9 years of sun and rain, and was included in the urban renewal action plan.
Old Wangjing panda sculpture
After layers of selection, Bi Heng's creative plan finally stood out, "At that time, I felt very excited and felt that I could make a little contribution to my second hometown." My design concept is to organically unify the development of humanistic science and technology with the protection of natural environment, so that the works not only conform to the fashion trend of Wangjing, but also highlight the ancient wisdom of the unity of nature and man. ”
Wangjing giant panda sculpture in production
Bi Heng introduced that the panda as a whole is made of a hammer hammer of stainless steel plate, and the surface is matte. "The sculpture is 10.5 meters high, not counting the base, and we cut the work open and divided it five or six times before it was transported from the factory. In order to be able to meet the work with everyone on New Year's Day, the workers involved in the production and installation during this time are working overtime, and everyone feels that they have made some contributions to the appearance of the city and done a very good job. ”
The Wi-Fi logo on the panda's chest was determined after several discussions. "Wangjing is a place where high-tech industries gather, and the giant panda's mech coat, together with the Wi-Fi signal logo, is reminiscent of scientific and technological innovation and development." Next to it, there is also a small button with a lightning-shaped "charging symbol" on it, and its black and white background borrows from the Taiji yin and yang fish graphic, implying the harmonious symbiosis between man and nature. The giant panda sculpture is also designed with a solar light-emitting device, "the eyes, arms and feet of the giant panda, and the light strips on the outer coat can all emit light at night, and the color can be changed." ”
Compared with the giant pandas eating bamboo in the old sculptures, the posture of the giant pandas with their arms outstretched in the new sculptures has triggered different interpretations. Bi Heng encouraged the public to think openly, "It is like posing as a hug, welcoming everyone to Wangjing; one of them has a hand raised higher, and it seems to be conducting a chorus; and some people may think that it is standing at the intersection, may be directing traffic... The eyes of the giant panda are somewhat upward, which can be understood as looking into the distance and imagining the future, and can also be understood as the praise and yearning for a better life. ”
Artistic ideals
Let Chinese art stand up
Bi Heng was born in 1985 in Jinzhou, Liaoning Province. Grandma was a skillful folk artist, and after discovering Bi Heng's talent for painting, she became his earliest art enlightenment teacher. From 2001 to 2010, Bi Heng studied at CAFA Affiliated High School and CAFA, and became the first undergraduate and master's double guarantee student since the establishment of CAFA.
On the road of study and creation, Bi Heng has also fallen into a daze, "The rules of the game of the whole contemporary art are tailored according to the advantages and characteristics of the Western art system." Our country and nation need their own cultural system and artistic logic. ”
《Solution・Release》
In 2010, Bi Heng's super-large installation art "Xie Fang" combined Guan Gong with truck and robot elements, and was exhibited abroad and became a sensation. "What I want to express is that the reference learning and integration of science and technology and culture are the seeds that promote the continuous progress of human civilization, but the Chinese people must not forget their unique genes and spirit."
"Fat Da" comprehensive material 1200x750x500cm 2019
Subsequently, Bi Heng also created giant works such as "Fighting The Leftover Buddha", "Fat Da", "Fuxing", "Potential", etc., so that Sun Wukong, dragon and giant panda in traditional Chinese culture can incarnate into mecha forms, showing the strong rise of contemporary China and the profound accumulation of Confucian and Taoist culture. In his view, "mecha" is a global artistic language, and he hopes to repackage and interpret the traditional cultural core of the East with the shell of trend culture.
Fuxing 1200x800x1300cm 2019
Battle of the Leftovers of the Buddha, Composite Materials 1000x700x400cm 2015
2021 Spring Festival debuted in Beijing Sanlitun Taikoo Li's "Potential"
Bi Heng believes that public art creators have a unique mission, that is, to reflect the time and space in which they are located, "In the future, I will continue to create more works to record this country and the times." ”
Image courtesy of Bi Heng