Through June 28, sculpture exhibition Zoomanity will display 20 small- and medium-sized works by Mexican sculptor and ceramist José Sacal at Xintiandi Style shopping mall. During the opening ceremony of the exhibition on June 20, Consul General of Mexico in Shanghai Arturo Puente Ortega stated his appreciation to the artist for coming all the way to China to show his art. "Sacal is a productive artist and devotes himself to promoting Mexican culture," said Ortega.

Sacal is considered one of the most outstanding contemporary Mexican sculptors. His work can be interpreted as surrealism and thus is indefinable even by the artist himself. "Sometimes I cannot literately describe what I tried to express with my sculpture, but audiences themselves can have their own interpretations. Their feedback and feelings help me to think more about the meaning that is represented in my work."

When creating his sculptures, Sacal said he prefers to take the body parts of animals as well as human beings into his creation, as he believes that "everybody means something." His style was influenced by his former experiences in medical school, and the element of a human skull, which is regarded as a special symbol in Mexican culture, also frequently appears in his works.

A brighter future

This is not Sacal's first trip to China. Since 1975 he has been to several cities across China more than 10 times. His sculptures have also traveled with him, from Latin America to Europe and eventually to Asia. During this time, Sacal has witnessed rapid urban development in Shanghai. "The first time I came to Shanghai, in 1975, there were no cars, only bicycles," said Sacal.

When discussing China, Sacal demonstrates a deep appreciation of Chinese culture and history. He told the Global Times that, in his opinion, Chinese people have a "brilliant" ancient civilization but that some valuable parts have not survived its social changes. It is the responsibility of the Chinese young generation, he believes, to learn more about and find out the lost parts of their culture and art in order to bring China into a brighter future.

In 2007, Sacal donated one of his sculptures to Shanghai, which is still standing in Jing'an district today. This made him one of the first Latin American artists to place his creation in public here. As 2016 is the year of exchange between China and Latin America, Sacal hopes that Chinese culture will have deeper influence in Mexico through cultural exchanges.

"There are a lot of elements of Mexican culture involved and represented in different aspects of my art," Sacal said at the opening ceremony. "I am willing to be an ambassador of the Mexican culture and introduce it to the rest of the world."

This article was written by Zhang Qin

Consul General of Mexico in Shanghai Arturo Puente Ortega (second from left) poses with Mexican sculptor and ceramist José Sacal (second from right).

 

 

Sculptures by Sacal on display at the exhibition

Photos: GT

 
Newspaper headline: Zoomanity