| Wang Guangyi was born on 1957 Born in Harbin, | | | | popular; for a time, they were the only ones |
| China. He lives and works in Beijing, China. | | | | allowed. |
| The paintings of Wang Guangyi belong to the | | | | |
| category of Chinese contemporary art termed | | | | SELECTED EXHIBITIONS- |
| Political Pop: work that appropriates the | | | | |
| visual tropes of the propaganda of the | | | | 2006 |
| Cultural Revolution, reworking them in the | | | | |
| flat, colorful style of American Pop. | | | | • Galerie ARARIO, Seoul, Korea. |
| | | | |
| To understand the works of artists engaged in | | | | 2004 |
| this practice, it is important to recognize | | | | |
| the significance and specificity of the | | | | • Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, |
| images they are using to fashion their work. | | | | Switzerland. |
| Without this knowledge, the work of artists | | | | |
| like Wang Guangyi may be reduced to a mere | | | | 2003 |
| aestheticization of the experiences of the | | | | |
| Cultural Revolution, a view which threatens | | | | • Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, France |
| to limit the discussion of these works to | | | | |
| their formal elements, foreclosing more | | | | 1997 |
| important ideological and historical | | | | |
| questions that must be raised. | | | | • Littmann Kulturprojekte, Basel, |
| | | | Switzerland. |
| It is perhaps equally essential, particularly | | | | |
| for Western audiences, to keep in mind the | | | | 1994 |
| dominance that the Maoist regime held over | | | | |
| visual culture and artistic production in | | | | • Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, China |
| China from 1949 to 1976, a control that | | | | |
| reached a near totality between 1966 and | | | | Conclusions: |
| 1972, during the Gang of Four's reign [i]. | | | | |
| | | | Wang Guangyi had already established his own |
| Certainly, the vast legacy of propaganda that | | | | style and the impact of the work had won him |
| resulted from this period will continue to | | | | a strong reputation in Chinese art circles. |
| impact artists interested in critically | | | | |
| examining China's recent visual history. | | | | What to Do Next... |
| After all, these images were more than simply | | | | |