Su Xinping’s art is unusual in the broad contemporary Chinese art scene. His work does not shout or seek notoriety, instead it is quietly insightful and sensitive. The works he created during his three-week residency at STPI addresses two of his ongoing themes – a deep observation of the communist convention and people’s reaction towards China’s changing society, and the mastery of the printmaking tradition itself as an artistic medium.
The works – lithographs, etchings and woodcuts – include images of a Mao jacket, symbolising the overwhelming impact of Maoist ideology plus a new set of prints in his well-known Comrade and Toast series. These predominantly red and black prints depict men in Mao jackets standing with younger men in Western jackets, raising their hands with a cup of wine or beer to toast something significant. The works are a commentary of both the social gap between young and old and the role of the banquet and the toast in society, particularly the political society.