Almost not recognizable, the intervention “Made in China” of the Spanish artist Fernando Sánchez Castillo (*1970 in Madrid) is presented in the large entrance hall of the Albertinum. Exhibited is an army of tiny figures. If you take a closer look, you will notice that it is the same character only 5.000 times reproduced. On the basis of a 3D model it was produced in large numbers in a toy factory in China.
The template for this figurine was the photograph of the so-called “Tank Man”, an anonymous young man who became internationally known. The picture was taken in 1989 when in Beijing tanks were used to defeat the efforts of Chinese students to reach democracy. A single man, having a bag in his hand, his coat hanging across his arm, stood against the column of tanks – only for a moment was he able to stop them. Hundreds or even thousands became victims of the bloody conflict that manifests itself around the Tiananmen Square. In China, the publication of this photograph is still prohibited. The fate of the “Tank Man” remains unknown until today.
In the Albertinum, Fernando Sánchez Castillo stages the small-sized plastic figures and forms an army of peaceful resistance. The single figure of the “Tank Man” with its eight centimetres is tiny, cheap and produced in large numbers. Herewith, it is antithetical to the traditional monument.
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