Zhu Wei 朱伟

Zhu Wei begins with the uniform and stance of Han-dynasty male soldiers, but his sculptures are not documentary re-creations: into these ancient forms he inserts a pointedly modern gesture redirecting the figures toward the present.

He notes that where traditional etiquette relied on bows and clasped-hand salutations, applause is a learned habit of modern life. When clapping can signal both approval and derision, it becomes a standardized, controlled body language, choreographed, directed, and used to flatten differences in position.

In a single action, Zhu compresses more than two millennia of historical change into a visible shift in behavior. Using the past to speak to the present, he asks: as we become more regulated and “well-behaved,” do we also become more conditioned, gradually losing the space for expression, dissent, and creativity?

朱伟在这组作品中以汉代现实生活的服饰与身体结构为造型依据：男性与士兵的装束，尤其士兵为了行军、奔波、作战方便，腿脚线条会露出来，便于行动。在历史设定中，他们原本应该手持长矛、剑等兵器，甚至有人应当拿鼓槌敲鼓，用于战阵动员。但作品却并不止于“复原古代”，而是在古代形象之上嵌入现代社会的动作“鼓掌”去讲一个更当代的问题。

朱伟指出，古代礼仪以作揖与鞠躬为主，作品人物在做的不是古礼，而是鼓掌。鼓掌并非传统习性，是现代社会里才被普遍学习、内化的行为。在当代，鼓掌既可表示赞同与喜悦，也可成为喝倒彩的同一姿势，最终被动员为一种可被统一、可被指令化的身体语言。不同立场都被同一种动作覆盖掉了。

由此，他将两千多年的历史演进压缩为一种可见的行为转变，借古喻今地追问：人在变得更规矩、更老实的同时，是否也变得更驯化、更服从，乃至逐渐失去表达与创造的空间。这是一件以完整“中国经验”为出发点的当代寓言。

Two editions were produced, each consisting of nine individual figures. Each figure is signed and numbered on the rear leg; the numbering is primarily for identification and accurate placement during installation, as the faces are intentionally similar. For display, the figures may be installed in numerical sequence, sometimes in a formation that builds depth (e.g., lower in front, rising toward the back).

Display is flexible: the set may be shown in full, or in smaller groupings of two to four figures. Collectors may install the works to suit the space, either following the numbering or arranging the figures by visual relationships.

这套作品共制作两组，每组九件；展陈时可依编号顺序进行排列（艺术家曾提及可呈现前后层次的排布方式，如前低后高，以形成队列感）。每一件作品在后腿位置刻有编号，并附艺术家签名。编号主要用于展览布置时的辨识与对位：由于人物形象相近，单凭面部特征有时不易区分，因此按编号摆放可确保对应准确。

同时，本系列的陈列方式具有高度灵活性，并不要求九件必须同时呈现：两件、三件、四件等均可独立组合，九件整组呈现亦无问题。作品交付后，收藏者可依空间条件与个人审美自由安排，可按编号顺序陈列，也可依据人物面部特征与视觉关系进行编排。