Artist Response Seven

So here I sit again to talk about Lei Yixin and his work as a Chinese artist and sculptor. Yixin’s most controversial piece, and his most well known piece here in the United States would be the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Monument that is on showcase in Washington, DC. 

Yixin with his work at the MLK Memorial.

It is this piece that really has caused a lot of controversy among the art and historical communities here and abroad. Many here in the states were upset that a Chinese Nationalist was commissioned to create a piece remembering a great American trailblazer for equality. Also at odds is the fact that the statue was primarily made in China and the stone came from there as well. Many believe that this is the exact opposite of what King Jr. stood for and that, according to the UK Telegraph’s Malcolm Moore, “King would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that his likeliness has been created by someone under a Communist regime.” 

Yixin's statue of Lei Feng

I think that we have to look past the social and cultural differences and realize that Yixin is a very talented artist and that we should embrace the fact that a man like Yixin, a Chinese man under a very different government ideal is able to come to the United States and create this work. That is something I think that King Jr. would be accepting of since he fought so hard for equal rights in this country. 

Yixin with his sculpture of Chennault.

When I look at some other pieces of Yixin’s work this is not the first time he has created something to show homage to an American. He was commissioned to create a statue of General Claire Lee Chennault. This statue is in the Hunan Province of China and is there to remember the help the Chinese received during WWII.

I think that this shows that while Lei lives in an entirely different world that we do here in the states, that he has an appreciation for Americans. While people may be at odds about how certain things were decided, I think it is apparent if you really look at his work that he has a great deal of attention to detail and emotion, and passion in his work.