Friends of the earth A clay army is descending upon Beijing.
But these are not the terracotta warriors of Xi'an but more friendly figures created by British artist Antony Gormley.
His "Asian Field" exhibition tour, a sculptural installation with an imposing view, will be held this month in the capital.
The artist guided 300 people of all ages from Huadu in Guangdong Province this year as they made 120,000 hand-sized clay figures.
Around 100 tons of clay went into the works, which were completed in five days. The clay figures were then fired at a local brick factory, and were exhibited in Guangzhou in mid-March.
"Field is part of a global project in which the earth of a particular region is given form by a group of local people of all ages," said Antony Gormley, a London-based artist.
"It is made of clay, energized by fire, sensitized by touch and made conscious by being given eyes."
Co-sponsored by the British Council, the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the China National Museum, the exhibition will last at the museum from July 27 to August 28.
Gormley, a famous sculptor who has been at the forefront of revitalizing the human body in Western sculpture for 20 years, has been committed to the ongoing project which involves working with local people throughout the world since 1989.
With the participation of local people from different regions, his exhibition boasts different versions of the field his sculpture tries to create.
Field is acknowledged as a key work in contemporary sculpture. It raises issues about the relationship between art, society and the environment, and in the collaborative process of its making, it has radically expanded art from being a form of self-expression to that of collective consciousness.
To carry out his sculpture project in China - a country boasting a long history, vast land and massive populace - the country has been a major source of inspiration for the making of the exhibits.
Famous for making sculptures moulded from his own body, Gormley does not consider himself a figurative artist, but views his sculptures as vehicles for universal themes related to the human condition. He won the prestigious Turner Prize presented at the Tate Gallery, London, in 1994.
The exhibition is a major event of Think UK, a project organized by the British Council, which is bringing the best of British originality, creativity and innovation to China this year. It is .
