Author:Tsong Pu(1947-)
Category：Installation Art
Media:Iron plate, hoes, and wooden sticks
Year：1990
Size description：110×241×155cm
Introduction：The Monument of Labor was exhibited for the first time in “Physical Space and Spiritual Space,” which was Tsong Pu’s solo exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in 1990. Constituted of hoes and an iron plate, The Monument of Labor shows a concise but hefty form, displaying the solemnity of common monuments and conveying the artist’s profound respect for laborers. At the same time, it responds to the ongoing construction of the Taipei metro, which was taking place at the time, making this work both a tribute to the working class, and a reflection on environmental change. The use of readymades, such as hoes, indicates everyday labor. In the 1980s, Tsong concentrated on bringing two-dimensional painting into the three-dimensional space. In the 1990s, he gradually shifted from materialism to using cultural symbols, and uttered his views on social situations and the environment of the time through form.
Author Introduction：「Tsong Pu」-Born in Shanghai, China, Tsong Pu graduated from the La Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de San Fernando de Madrid. His creative journey began in the modernist period, where he embraced Western conceptualism and minimalism. Drawing upon his own Eastern perspective of nature and the cosmos, the artist pioneered a signature interpretive approach, exploring materiality to elaborate on reflections about space. In recent years, he co-founded the art group Xindian Boys with fellow artists living in the Xindian area, continuing the openness and sensibility of his work through collaborative art making.
Accession number:20210119