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}