Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin’s Head by the Gao Brothers
One of China’s most prominent artists, Gao Zhen, has been arrested for criticizing the country’s respected historical figures.
Gao is well-known in China for his work with his brother, Gao Qiang. The Gao Brothers have been active as artists since the mid-1980s, using media such as painting, sculpture, and performance art. Social and political criticism is common in their work, likely influenced by their upbringing during the Cultural Revolution. This was an effort by Mao Zedong to solidify state socialism’s place in China by purging capitalist and some traditional aspects of Chinese culture. Students formed Red Guards and revolutionary committees to root out these influences. The Gao Brothers’ father was arrested and allegedly committed suicide in prison during this time. Other Chinese artists of the same generation as the Gao Brothers had similar upbringings, including Ai Weiwei.
The Cultural Revolution and its legacy are common themes in the Gao Brothers’ work. Some of their early work is meant to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. This kind of art has become increasingly rare in China under Xi Jinping, who has cracked down on dissent in his attempts to consolidate power. In 2018, China’s National People’s Congress passed a law criminalizing defamation of the country’s “heroes and martyrs”. Xi spearheaded efforts to augment the law in 2021. During that year’s Communist Party anniversary celebrations, Xi emphasized the party’s purpose “to vigorously carry forward the red tradition”. Government prosecutors have used these laws to target high-profile dissidents such as artists, journalists, and activists for their work as government critics. However, the state may also target random people for their social media posts.
Gao Zhen has lived in the United States since 2022. He was visiting family in China last month when police arrested him in Sanhe, a town just east of Beijing. Gao Qiang stated that authorities also raided their studio and confiscated several of their artworks. Most of these confiscated works are over a decade old, predating the law that Gao is accused of violating. Many of these pieces use Mao Zedong’s likeness and recall the legacy of the Cultural Revolution. Qiang has called the raid a “retroactive punishment for actions that took place before the new law came into effect”. He further commented that the brothers have actually stopped creating work relating to the Cultural Revolution as they are “completely exhausted from dealing with [its] ghosts”.
When you’re heading an authoritarian regime, suppressing dissident artists as a knee-jerk reaction may seem logical. However, in arresting them and confiscating their work, the government proves the point they make through their art. Gao Zhen faces up to three years in prison due to his work.