1. Ah Xian | Human human - lotus, cloisonne figure 1
The ‘Human human – lotus, cloisonné figure 1’ is a sculpture made by Ah Xian. This piece of artwork
is a fully sculptured female body, with a large number of water lilies from head to toe. The water
lilies are creatively wrapped around the body which gives the sculpture colour and enhances the
appearance. The main subject matter of this piece of artwork is the lotus. There are two definitions
for lotus, the first definition is a large number of water Lilies and the second definition is the name of
a water lily situated in Asia and in northern Australia. Ah Xian has cleverly combined these two
meanings to create his main subject matter. The Human human – lotus, cloisonné figure 1 was
purchased in 2002 and is currently located in the Queensland Government’s Gallery of Modern Art.
The sculpture is made from hand-beaten copper and enamel powder. To get the shape of the body
Ah Xian casted a Human body and thenthe cast wasfinely enamelled using the cloisonné technique.
This technique involves cutting gemstones, glass and other objects to decorate a metal object. They
are attached by soldering or adhering gold or silver wires or thin strips placed on the edges which
remain visible in the finished product. Cloisonné enamelled products are worked on with enamel
powder which is made into a paste and then fired in a kiln. The sculpture is a very creative piece of
artwork which looks magnificent at different viewpoints.
The statue “Human, human lotus cloisonné figure 1”, is a full body sculpture with a size of 158 x 55.5
x 32cm, meaning it is able to be walked around and viewed from differing viewpoints.The elements
of art which have been used are colour and shape. The colour of the lotus flowers really stand out
from the plain background. The shape of this statue is obviously that of a woman, which looks quite
smooth, not rough. This makes this statue overall very feminine with the addition of the pink
flowers. The lotus is associated with Chinese Buddhism and Taoism in China. Representing purity and
spiritual awakening, the sculpture brings alive the finer aspects of human nature and is intended
partly as a means of aesthetic pleasure.The principles of design which have been used are repetition,
emphasis, balance and harmony. Repetition is used with the background of the statue, the little
round figures all evenly spaced and exactly the same shape and size. Emphasis is used on the flowers
as they stand out from the repeating background and flow more freely. Balance and harmony
between the flowers and the background make the statue look appealing. The balance between the
background and lotus flowers give the statue a slightly computerised look, with the little figures and
the big, pink flowers on top. The flowers seem to embrace the sculpture.
This piece of artwork created by Ah Xian has used the Lotus flower which has a strong symbolic
meaning. And in China it is closely associated with Chinese Buddhism and Taoism. The Message of
the Artwork is spiritual unfolding, purity and spiritual awakening leading to the state of nirvana or
eternal bliss. I find that the message of the art work is clear and easy to comprehend. The purpose of
the artwork is, personifies the finer aspects of human nature. Living in Australia released him from
the immediate pressures of Chinese politics and his physical distance from China, coupled with the
struggle to survive in and understand his new Australian home, and created an environment that
allowed these works to develop. For Ah Xian, these two series are the result of a period of deeply
felt life experiences in which he and his family have straddled two cultures. An expressive quality
that is revealed in this piece of artwork is feelings. I think that the lotus flower expresses feelings as
it has a strong symbolic meaning. It shows that Ah Xian may respect the Chinese Buddhism and
Taoism because it symbolises the lotus flower, in which he has used as a main feature in the
artwork. The artwork ‘Human Human – lotus, figure 1’ has represented nature/environment for an
aspect of the world. By Xian using the Lotus Flower it shows that Ah Xian might be interested in
nature or the environment of the world.

2. Ah Xian | Human human - lotus, cloisonne figure 1
We like the artwork, Human, human lotus cloisonné figure 1, because we think that the lotus and
the bright colours are really effective and stand out. The size and texture of the sculpture also suit
the meaning. Overall we really think this sculpture is very appealing. The personal style of Xian is
effective because it personalises this particular sculpture. We believe that this style suits this
artwork because it enhances the appearance and the meaning of the ‘lotus’.