Tong Kunniao sees himself as a free thinker on the fringes of society. The Chinese artist's bizarre sculptures are currently on show in Berlin.
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
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Chinese artist Tong Kunniao's surreal sculptures
Tong Kunniao creates works of art from objects he finds and collects, often objects people throw away. The exhibition "Just stay in the cold" in Berlin showcases the Chinese artist's bizarre creations.
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
'Red Tail Double Eggs Bird'
Shown above is a detail of one Tong Kunniao's absurd but humorous sculptures, representing a bird with a red tail and two eggs. It is from his 2019/20 series "Balance." The Chinese artist uses found objects in his works, things people no longer need or want. This "bird" is made of metal, stockings, fake wood and other materials.
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
'Forehead Snack' and 'Red Tail Double Eggs Bird'
These two "birds" are perched precariously. The upper part of the frame can be set in motion or removed. Lightness, mobility and the search for the right position are underlying themes of Tong Kunniao's sculptures. Metaphorically, these balancing acts are always about the position of individuals in society.
Image: XC·HuA Gallery
'Little Black Widow'
Every one of the sculptures has its own story, and certainly the artist could tell one about the "Little Black Widow" — but Tong Kunniao relies on the power of imagination. He does not want to be put on the spot as an artist. "I am a bird, I want to be free," he says. "To be free means that you can balance your life, define yourself."
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
'Mop Boxer' and 'Little Black Widow'
The series of bird-like sculptures exemplifies the search for balance in a person and his relationship to society. "Mop Boxer" and "Little Black Widow" radiate a slightly creepy sense of humor — along the lines of the Surrealists and their "found object" (objet trouvé) art.
Image: XC·HuA Gallery
'Mop Boxer'
Tong Kunniao got the idea for "Mop Boxer," which he also describes as the "boxing bird," when he met a man who looked like a bodybuilder but earned his money as a cleaner on the outskirts of Beijing. Did he find the balance between reality and appearances thanks to his physique?
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
'Fortune Bird'
"Fortune Bird" hides a pistol underneath gold jewelry. China has become a prosperous country in the last 20 years, says Tong Kunniao, who has observed many nouveau riche people flaunting their wealth without worrying about the effect it might have on others. The gun symbolizes this underlying aggressiveness and selfishness.
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
'Chili Bullet Bird'
The above cartridge belts filled with chili peppers are part of a larger sculpture that shows Tong Kunniao's sense of Dadaist humor. Tong is originally from Changsha, a city where people are passionate about the hot peppers. The "rifle" commemorates his father, who was in prison for 10 years after the revolution in China, and who owned a rifle.
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
Landscapes and objects
This series of paintings is one of Tong Kunniao's most recent works. The paintings copy motifs from China's glorious Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but using a completely different, garish color scheme. Mobile objects that correspond to other sculptures in the room are attached to the paintings. "Things take on a life of their own, they will outlive people," Tong says.
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
'Scenery Shot-2'
The darning eggs Tong Kunniao used for "Landscape 2" are objects one could perhaps find in a flea market. The Chinese artist had actually planned to visit the flea markets in Berlin, but he ended up not traveling because of the coronavirus pandemic. He still hopes to come to Germany for the planned second installment of the exhibition, which would also include performances.
Image: Hua International/Lukas Preuss
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A web of feathers, nets, rods, and colorful pieces of plastic rotates around an axis that is shaped like a pointed bird's head. The individual elements are spread out like wings, keeping perfectly balanced despite the movement back and fro.
Balance and freedom are the two concepts that are key to Tong Kunniao's art. The Beijing-based artist is only 30 years old but has had solo exhibitions in major galleries and museums all over the world, and his works have been shown at leading art fairs.
International collectors are increasingly eager to buy his quirky collage-like kinetic sculptures. After stops in Shanghai, Beijing, Los Angeles and Basel, his works are now being showcased at the Hua International Gallery in Berlin.
Being able to interact with his artworks is part of Tong Kunniao's signature styleImage: XC·HuA Gallery
Finding freedom in uniqueness
The exhibition is titled "Just stay in the cold” — a title that was chosen long before the coronavirus pandemic emerged. However, it could hardly be more fitting, says Hua Xiaochan, the owner of the gallery.
Tong Kunniao had planned to be in Berlin for the opening because not only does he create his unique works, he also interacts with them at his exhibitions as part of an artistic performance. However, the coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions squarely nixed that plan. In the end, he’s the one who had to stay out “in the cold.”
Tong, who studied at the Chinese Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), is one of the most sought-after artists of his generation. His artworks include sculpture, painting, performance, photography and poetry.
When asked about what he does, he states that he is not an artist but a bird. And sometimes, he pretends to be a bird in the performances linked to his kinetic works — he is seen as airborne, free and completely mobile.
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Throw-away culture as inspiration
To create his sculptures, Tong Kunniao collects things that people have thrown away; he gathers objects at flea markets, receives gifts from friends or orders individual articles on the Internet — or whatever is accessible of the internet in China.
The assembled materials bear the traces and stories of people who lead their lives in a never-ending stream of using consumer goods.
Value, use and destruction become unreliable categories; human existence is portrayed as a perpetual balancing act.
One man's trash is another man's treasure: Tong collects discarded consumer goods to create his artworksImage: XC·HuA Gallery
The balancing act of finding balance
Tong studied German 20th century philosopher Martin Heidegger and his philosophy of "Dasein" (being present) and "Geworfenheit"(being thrown), that is, the inevitability of existence. "In everyday life we are busy finding a balance within ourselves, our community and with others," says Tong.
His artworks make that notion of balance look playful and easy, and at the same time fleeting and precarious. Vividly and rather sensually, the works reflect the elementary uncertainty of life in a rapidly changing world
The exhibition at Berlin's Hua International gallery runs until December 12. Hua International is also represented in Beijing's art district 798.
