Save a Star in your Spittoon
‘Save a Star in your Spittoon’ is a kitsch ‘found sculpture’, made from two spittoons (receptacles for spit). Spittoons are culturally significant objects in China used by both Chinese emperors and Communist leaders – a symbol of wealth and status. The artist turns them into lamps, transforming their use and function. The work was inspired by a of a meeting between Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher, in which a spittoon stands at their feet. The two leaders met in Beijing in 1984 to negotiate the ‘handover’ of Hong Kong.