Mei Mei
“Little Sister”
by
Taun
Bronze Edition of 21
16" x 16" x 12”
To limit population growth in China , a One Child Policy was implemented in 1979 and continues to be in effect today throughout much of China . As a result, thousands of infants (primarily girls) have been abandoned and placed in orphanages in hopes of being adopted. This sculpture entitled Mei-Mei (Little Sister) is an attempt to capture the hope, magic, and love of adoption in a common theme and expressed in bronze. The sculpture is a bust of a 3 year old Chinese girl wearing a traditional mandarin jacket. The outline of the shoulders creates a heart symbolizing the love the child has to give.
Hidden in the hair, you will notice a heart with a brick wall symbolizing the many barriers, emotional, physical, and cultural that each child needs to overcome in order to experience trust and love in their new family.
On the back of Mei-Mei, is a silhouette of the Chinese birth mother pregnant with her child. She is thinking about the future and praying her child will thrive in a loving home and have many wonderful opportunities in the future. Above the birth mother, a melting clock illustrates the time the little girl waits for someone to take her home. You will also find a Chinese lantern to light her way through her life and forever light the way for her Chinese ancestors to find her; as celebrated each Chinese New Year. Near her right ear is an image of the Chinese Dragon, the divine, mythical creature of China ’s culture that is believed to bring abundance, prosperity and good fortune. Its benevolence signifies greatness, goodness and blessings, everything a baby’s birth and adoptive parents wish for her.
Many Chinese mothers travel a long way to leave their babies in larger cities, far away from their native province in hope of their baby receiving the best care possible. Some babies are even abandoned in the bus or train stations. To illustrate this journey and the baby’s journey yet to come, railroad tracks are running just under the dragon’s feet. At the back of the sculpture is the Chinese symbol for “Family” which is also a synonym for “Home”.
Finally, at the top of the sculpture you will find a map of China and the U.S. connected by a red thread that shows the journey from East to West. The Red Thread is a very important symbol in China as it is believed that an invisible red thread joins those in life who are destined to connect with regardless of time, place or circumstances; the thread may stretch or tangle but never break.
Everyone that connects with this sculpture and adopts their own Mei-Mei will help a Chinese baby who has been “left behind” in hopes of finding a loving and permanent home. Taun will be donating 100% of the profits to the CCAI (Chinese Children Adoption International) organization’s Henan Project where there are currently over 2,000 babies waiting to be adopted.
Taun’s sculptures add another dimension by incorporating mystery and intrigue in the form of subtle hidden objects. Each bronze has unique symbols that relate deeply to the figure, which are subtlety placed in the piece. This has become Taun’s trademark. Taun is a member of the National Sculpture Society ( NSS ), the International Sculpture Center ( ISC) and a juried member of Arizona Artists Guild (AAG).
Price: $2,500.00
To place an order contact Taun@Ecode.net or 602-793-3989
To see more of Taun’s sculptures go to : www.taun.com