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One of the pioneers of China's political pop movement and one of the nation's most influential artists.

Wang Guangyi first made an impact in the mid-1980s when he chose to reject the traditional formalistic practices of the past and, instead, engage audiences in a critical dialogue through his works. As part of this process he was a founding member of the Northern Art Group. This group consciously tried to analyze the direction of Chinese art. they were interested in exploring the traditional approach to their work and not merely appreciating influences from the West.

" Untitled " Oil on Canvas

Being sold as one piece. Painted in 2004.

h: 47 x w: 55 in / h: 119.4 x w: 139.7 cm

Each canvas measures 23 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

Apart from issues of disposable income, what is it about Chinese contemporary art that appeals to non-Chinese buyers? In Wang Guanyi’s case I suspect it’s because his paintings are open enough to interpretation to appeal to a broad range of art lovers. By putting together two sets of imagery that are instantly recognisable as Chinese and Western, they work at the most raw visual level: you don’t need to be an expert on China to understand what’s going on here. But the more people know about China, the more they can read into the work.

Since 1989 Wang has been producing work which is regarded as Political Pop. In 1989 his Mao Series caused a sensation in the First China Avant-Garde Exhibition held in Beijing. Wang painted portraits of chairman Mao overlaid with black grid. This way of approaching Mao's image was inspired by memories of the mass-produced Mao portraits during the Cultural Revolution. These distortions of Mao's image were understandably provocative as they placed the icon of modern China in the context of Campbell soup cans. Wang's work is a good example of what has come to be known as Political Pop. Political Pop is an artistic trend that was developed from the adoption of an ironic use and treatment of icons from Western commercialism and the political images of socialism. Political Pop is regarded as a symbolic form of the spirit, marking the end of the Cold War. It is a representation of the influences of Western commercialism on the ideology of socialism. This penetration of commercialism into socialism created in the minds of artists a way of portraying a unique sense of political absurdity. Political Pop acknowledges political reality as a starting point for the production of art. From there it proceeds to satirize political ideology and through it provides for audiences an effective means of neutralizing the hold that a politically saturated mentality can have on the inner mind. The Political Pop movement played an important role in Chinese Avant-Garde art. It encouraged artists such as Wang to begin experimenting with non-traditional materials such as ready-made images and objects. Wang Guangyi's appropriation and deconstruction of American Pop language and its ironic reapplication to icons of China state a complex understanding of the juxtaposition of past cultural memories with current issues of American infiltration of the Chinese market. Unlike American Pop which elevates its popular icons to a higher status and in a solemn and serious manner, Chinese Pop chooses to deify the common and by doing so, exhibits a strong sense of humor and mockery. Wang uses the revitalized popular Mao images by careful appropriation and placement in his works. Wang successfully presents how the nature of every day commercial products and political icons can be altered to give another point of view to audiences, modifying traces of original meaning and allowing new interpretations to surface.

Since 1990 Wang Guangyi has produced many series of works such as "Great Criticism", "Visa", "Drug - Anybody is a possible drug carrier", "Virus - Anybody is a possible virus carrier" and "Hygienic Searching - All food is possible poisoned food". In the "Great Criticism" series, Wang is juxtaposing two opposing sets of icons; one from the Cultural Revolution and the other from logos of Western products. These logos are representations of the rampant rise of Western commercialism in China. They signify the inroads Western commercialism has made in China. Combining cultural elements from different historical periods, this process of deconstruction illuminates the original significance pointing to the neurotic state of contemporary China. After the "Great Criticism" series he began experimenting with installation art. The resulting work was "Passport" and "Visa". The concept of "Passport" and "Visa" comes from national symbols used in visa offices in embassies around the world. To a certain extent "Visa" aimed to make us aware of the space between countries. In it, everybody was interrogated in an attempt to gain the elusive "visa". It underlined the documentation required to exist in the world today. The visa became the symbol of one's emotion, beliefs and national identity. "Drug: anybody is a possible drug carrier" and "Virus: anybody is a possible virus carrier" questioned the environment in which humans live today. It reveals human psychological dilemmas in dealing with personal behavior and social morality. "Virus: anybody is a possible virus carrier" examines the society as whole and its disregard for individual life. Wang has talked about the importance of the artist showing abroad; he states: "The experiences in a different nation will no doubt be evident in the work done in that particular environment. the impact and significance of the artwork will ultimately be changed. The background of the viewer and the cultural environment interact with the artwork providing the impulse for artists' ideas...". The possibility for the artists to show abroad provides the impetus for new ideas.

Wang Guangyi Biography

1956 Born in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province
1984 Graduated from the Oil Painting Department, Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (NZAFA)

Lives and works in Beijing

Selected Exhibitions

2006 Plato and His Seven Spirits, Century OCT, Beijing

2006 Wang Guangyi, Galerie ARARIO, Seoul, Korea (solo)

2006 Jiang Hu Tilton Gallery, New York, USA

2005 Mahjong, Kunstmuseum Bern

2005 “Beautiful Cynicism” ARARIO BEIJING, Beijing, China

2005 ‘Invitation Exhibition-Opening Ceremony of OCT Contemporary Art Terminal’ He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China

2004 Wang Guangyi, Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland (solo)

2004 Chine, le corps partout? Museum of Contemporary Art, Marseilles

2003 Wang Guangyi, Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, France (solo)

2003 Alors, la Chine?, Centre Pompidou, Paris

2002 Chinese Modernity, Fondacion Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP) Sao Paulo, Brazil

2002 Paris-Beijing, Espace Cardin Paris, France

2002 Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Art, Shenzhen Museum of Art

2002 Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong Museum of Art

2002 The Strength of Picture, Museum He Xiangning in Shenzhen, China

2001 Faces of Faith, Soobin Art Gallery, Singapore

2000 20th Century Chinese Oil Painting Exhibition, National Art Gallery in Beijing, China

1997 Littmann Kulturprojekte, Basel, Switzerland (solo)

1995 Art to Swatch, Museum of Architecture and Design, The Chicago Athemnaeum

1994 22nd International Biennial of Sao Paulo

1994 Wang Guangyi, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, China (solo)

1993 Gallery Bellefroid Paris, France

1992 The First 1990's Biennial Art Fair, Guangzhou, China

1992 China, Avant-Garde' at Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Germany

1990 Pacific Asia Museum, California, USA

1989 China Avant-Garde Exhibition