The Chinese artistic landscape has quite changed since China opened its gates with Den Xiaoping in the early 90s. A first wave of artists emigrated to Europe and the US after the Tienanmen repression in 1989. They created bastions of resistance against the Chinese intellectual diktat. Then, a second wave of young artists obtained more intellectual liberty. They gathered in particular in 798, a gigantic artistic neighbourhood in Beijing. But political tensions are still strong between artists and politics. What a playing field for art !
Artsper has selected for you 10 artworks revisiting Mao’s cultural heritage in a pop-kitsch way!
{Yue Minjun, The Sun, 2000}
Aren’t there some similitudes with mao’s propaganda?
{Zeng Fanshi, Mask Series, 1996}
How smiling they seem those communist activists!
{Baby Riding on a Tank, Unknown, 798 Beijing}
This baby is having fun on his “Made in China” tank… He almost looks like Kim-Jong-Un!
{Unknown, 798 Beijing}
Innocence kidnapped by red men in uniforms…
{Liu Ye, I always wanted to be a sailor, 1964}
{Zhang Xiaogang, Bloodline Big Family No. 9, 1996}
What a red baby!
{Yan Pei Ming, Mao, 2003}
{Yue Minjun, Execution, 1995}
Isn’t it the forbiden city that we see behind the execution? Could it represent Tienanmen repression?
{Sui Jianguo, Legacy Mantle, 2008}
Who could ever fit in that vest?
{Lu Shun Shi, Lifeng, Undated}