About Wang Guangyi - a Chinese Artists

Wang Guangyi was born on 1957 Born in Harbin,Four's reign [i].
China. He lives and works in Beijing, China. TheCertainly, the vast legacy of propaganda that
paintings of Wang Guangyi belong to the categoryresulted from this period will continue to impact
of Chinese contemporary art termed Political Pop:artists interested in critically examining China's
work that appropriates the visual tropes of therecent visual history. After all, these images were
propaganda of the Cultural Revolution, reworkingmore than simply popular; for a time, they were
them in the flat, colorful style of American Pop.the only ones allowed.
To understand the works of artists engaged inSELECTED EXHIBITIONS-
this practice, it is important to recognize the2006
significance and specificity of the images they are• Galerie ARARIO, Seoul, Korea.
using to fashion their work. Without this2004
knowledge, the work of artists like Wang Guangyi• Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland.
may be reduced to a mere aestheticization of the2003
experiences of the Cultural Revolution, a view• Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, France
which threatens to limit the discussion of these1997
works to their formal elements, foreclosing more• Littmann Kulturprojekte, Basel,
important ideological and historical questions thatSwitzerland.
must be raised.1994
It is perhaps equally essential, particularly for• Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, China
Western audiences, to keep in mind theConclusions:
dominance that the Maoist regime held over visualWang Guangyi had already established his own
culture and artistic production in China from 1949style and the impact of the work had won him a
to 1976, a control that reached a near totalitystrong reputation in Chinese art circles.
between 1966 and 1972, during the Gang ofWhat to Do Next...