Reading the Horse Pagoda
Like any extraordinary work of art that comes from the soul, Gao Xiang’s art is felt. But it also can be read, peeling back the cultural layers like chapters in a book. Take for example his deceptively simple “Horse Pagoda” series of installations, inks, and paintings which feature a horses stacked one upon the other, sometimes with a small human figure of a man at the top.
Gao Xiang, “The Dreams”, 40 x 40 cm, acrylic and colour on glass
CHAPTER 1 - THE HORSE
Horses have a deep cultural meaning in China, having been indispensable for travel, work, leisure and warfare. For Gao Xiang personally, the horse also is a complex force that not only holds the mysteries of the universe and Chinese traditions but is a symbolic extension of his soul. In fact, the man at the top of the pyramid is often himself, endeavouring to glimpse the future from the high vantage point of the mystery and power supporting him.
Gao Xiang, “Horse Pagoda”, oil and acrylic on canvas, private collection
Tang Dynasty figurine
CHAPTER 2 - THE SHAPE
Many of the horses in Gao Xiang’s Horse Pagoda series are in the form of Tang Dynasty figurines. The Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) was the golden age of art and culture that has left us many terracotta horse figurines which were commissioned from skilled artisans for the great burial mounds of deceased dignitaries because horses symbolised wealth and power. For Gao Xiang, rendering the horses in the shape of a Tang Dynasty figurine is a nod both to an auspicious element (wealth and power) and to a period in China’s history when the arts flourished.
Gao Xiang, The Four Seasons Horse Pagodas (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter), ink and acrylic on rice paper
CHAPTER 3 - THE PAGODA
The horses are stacked as a Pagoda as a way of grounding Gao Xiang’s contemporary expression in China’s history and evoking the power of cultural symbols. The Pagoda has become an integral part of Chinese architecture and culture. Derived from the stupa, this Buddhist structure was used to house relics and sacred texts; was in times past the tallest structure in the landscape, providing a fantastic vantage point and inspiring many a poet; and in Imperial China was a lucky symbol for hopefuls taking the notoriously difficult civil service degree examinations.
CHAPTER 4 - THE COLOUR RED
The prevalent colour in the Horse Pagoda series is often a strong red. Whenever we see “red” and “China” we immediately think “communism”. Although associated with the propaganda campaign of Communist China, red has far deeper historical connotations and spiritual significance in China.
Red is connected to seasons, fire, sun, life and luck and above all it is an ancient symbol of power and respect. During the Han Dynasty (206BC –220AD) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), red represented south at a time when the rulers came from the south of China and was a colour reserved solely for the royal family. It is no wonder that in the 20th century the Chinese Red Army appropriated the colour. As Gao Xiang says, “Chinese love and respect red. We feel serious when we see it.”
Gao Xiang, “Summer Horse Pagoda”, 2014, ink and acrylic on canvas, 120 x 60cm
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For Gao Xiang’s bio and other works, click here
Cool Facts
In 102BC, the Han Dynasty owed its vast expansion to a miraculous new breed of horses. Nicknamed the Heavenly Horses, they were rumoured to be so fast that they could overtake a bird in mid-flight. In warfare, speed is everything, and Emperor Wu committed to a staggering loss of life over two military campaigns to capture the horses from the Kingdom of Dayuan in what is now Uzbekistan, allowing the Han Dynasty to expand deep into Asia.