Tormented Mao

Mao 1924

Golden Mao

Growing up in a Patriarchal society, this image of Mao represents the quintessential ideal of a "young man" who has been deeply cultivated by the values and traditions of then-China. We have seen this archetype before in Sun Yixian and Chiang Kai-Shek. Here, Mao Zedong is depicted as young revolutionary, a scholar, and a soldier -- all images that can be found in Chinese history books, magazines and newspapers.

Opening at Brand Library, Skylight gallery at Glendale, Los Angeles.

Tu-2

Disciplined, humble, intense, serious, creative, skilled, passionate, egocentric, playful, and paradoxically both open and guarded, Ying Ming Tu (Tu-2) is demanding of himself and others.

His visual style in his drawings, paintings, photography and cinematography is unique and impressive.
Tu has an amazing instinct with striking compositions and bold colors. He often chooses subjects with very humble beginnings, such as his parents, Mao, and the villagers he met in his travels to Guatemala and Tibet.

Tu-2 is culturally perceptive of the East and the West as he was born and raised in Taiwan, yet has lived, studied and worked in the U.S. for over twenty-five years. Many of his works have inspired juxtapositions, such as his Mickey Mao series, where his art comments on the influence of the West upon Chinese popular culture.

Tu’s strong spirituality is reflected in his portrait of the Dali Lama, in his delicately drawn portraits of his friends in Los Angeles, and in his works about meditation. He creates the feeling of the quiet of an athlete stretching, the glory of combat between two opposing soccer players, the long stride of a galloping horse, or the ecstasy of two lovers reaching their highest pleasures together.

Tu-2’s art is about connecting, seeing, re-visualizing, and reconsidering what you thought you knew. Emotional, demanding, thought provoking and mesmerizing, his art sets the highest standards and consistently delivers a sublime sensuality.

Bio written by Tu’s friend of 20 years, writer and filmmaker
Steven Rothblatt

Mao is coming

Tienemen Square Mao

At the time,1989, I was glued to the TV in my Los Angeles studio watching the burning news of Chinese students who were protesting at Tieneman Square demanding "Freedom and Democracy”. The whole world was seeing the event through the viewpoint of the western media. Meanwhile, the majority of the Chinese people had no idea what was going on in their own land.

An inspiration for me in creating this painting is that Mao was the liberator of old society, and after the revolution the ruling class was challenged by a desire for more liberty. Sometimes History itself is an irony!

Green Mickey Mao

Meow meow Mao

Mask Mao

0 Mao

Visionary Mao

This image is based on a photograph of Mao taken during the time when he faced the predicament of his own Communist's party struggle between extreme right and left. His leadership was challenged by both sides.

Here I endeavored to enter and imagine Mao's inner struggle between resignation and determination.

Androgynous Mao

By studying all of the Chinese emperors' faces, a Chinese fortune teller pointed out that those few kings who possessed a feminine quality often became great leaders. Mao is famous for having an androgynous quality which
inspired me to create this portrait.

Chop Mao

Buddha Mao

Buddha Mao was inspired by Tu-2's journey to Tibet.

During that visit, he noticed that many pilgrims were wearing Mao badges on their chests. When he asked why they were wearing the badges, he was told "It's the Buddha!"

Mickey Mao No 2

Welcome to Mao-Ology

This blog showcases Tu-2's Mao-Ology series. The work has been shown internationally in Europe, Asia and the United State. Mao-Ology is a study of perhaps the most famous Chinese cultural icon, Mao Ze Dong. Tu-2 and his work have been featured in a variety of art journals including:中華民國帝門藝術教育基金會, Asian Art News, China Times, Hsiung Shih Art Monthly,

De Standaard Magazine of Belgium, Artweek and Los Angeles Times.