The ancient Chinese styling of Albuquerque’s latest public art acquisition may transport viewers back in time. Artist Wanxin Zhang says this dialogue between history and modernity is no accident.
He says the Travelin’ Man sculpture, inspired by some of China’s greatest archeological finds, transcends time and culture while also standing for all the people who continue to shape Albuquerque.
“We call him the Travelin’ Man because he represents the traveling people,” explains Zhang, who is originally from Changchun, China. “You don’t know where people are from or where they’re going. It’s a spiritual and cultural traveling, a personal journey.”
The Travelin’ Man has no particular background, he adds, but springs from a combination of all the cultures and experiences of Albuquerque’s many visitors, residents and ancestors.
Zhang, now based in San Francisco, was approached a couple of years ago by Working Classroom, an Albuquerque program that brings students and professional artists together to collaborate on art reflecting a diverse community. After 15 years of living in the U.S., Zhang has experienced the convergence of cultures he represents in his art firsthand and calls this country his second home.
Last year, Zhang and Working Classroom won an art commission from the city to create the Travelin’ Man for the Cesar Chavez Community Center. The sculpture, dedicated in May, is the latest in a series of more than 100 terra cotta warriors created by Zhang over the last 10 years. His pieces are held in collections in San Francisco, New York, Boston and Beijing.
At 7-1/2 feet tall, the sculpture is reminiscent of the terra cotta warriors unearthed in 1974 from the tomb of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang. The emperor had ordered the construction of the underground army in Xi’an, China, to preserve his empire and offer protection even in death. Along with the paranoid emperor and his army of terra cotta soldiers, thousands of conscripted workers were sealed alive during the tomb’s construction in order to keep its location a secret.
When he first saw the Chinese terra cotta warriors in the 1980s, Zhang decided to give back to those fallen soldiers and workers “the respect that every human life should have.” Although inspired by a tragedy that occurred more than 2,000 years ago, Zhang says his renditions embody hope. “I am giving the warriors new lives,” Zhang says in his artist’s statement. “My art is about finding a dialogue within ourselves in history, politics and society.”
Zhang says he learned about Albuquerque’s rich culture through the project. Working with local students during the city’s Tricentennial celebration helped him grasp Albuquerque’s history and diversity, which, along with the landscape, he incorporated into the design.
The Working Classroom students created the relief on the base of the sculpture, which represents the four seasons. “I Love Albuquerque” is engraved on the back of the traditional-style sculpture, a wink to modernity that has become a staple of Zhang’s anachronistic series. The Travelin’ Man also holds a map in his hand—in English—symbolizing 300 years of travelers in Albuquerque.
To see this new addition to the city’s art collection, stop by the Cesar Chavez Community Center at 7505 Katherine SE.
Artist Wanxin Zhang in his studio.
