Wang Guangyi is the leading protagonist of the post-1989 Political Pop movement - one of the major artistic movements to have developed in the aftermath of the events of 1989 - Tiananmen Square and the closure of the China/Avant Garde exhibition at the China National Gallery. It is characterised by the combination of propaganda images, Pop Art and commercial advertising. Wang Guangyi's Great Criticism series combines the propaganda posters of the Cultural Revolution with the brand names of famous western consumer products. Idealised peasants and workers yield pens instead of hammers or shovels and appear to extol the virtues of Coca Cola, Nokia or Swatch. Wang Guangyi calls the ironic effect produced by the juxtaposition of icons, cultural or other, from different eras anatomic structuralism. This anatomic structuralism destroys the original intent of each image resulting in an absurdity.
Wang Guangyi is interested in the visual transmission of the socialist message. He first thought about making his Materialist sculptures in 2000-2001. The inspiration came from the socialist realist statues he saw everyday throughout his childhood. Images of leaders or of model heroes were immensely effective communicators of power and idealism, and deeply inspirational for a great many people. Interested in the communicative power of these sculptures, Wang Guangyi wanted to continue the communication thus bringing that era of Chinese history to younger generations, making them reflect on Chinese history. He wants to transmit the concept of socialism using a visual approach and at the same time communicate some of the faith the Chinese people had in the socialist message. Power is an important element in these works. Wang Guangyi considers these sculptures a turning point in his work, moving away from the cultural conflicts expressed in his Great Criticism paintings.
1956
Born in Harbin
1984
Graduated from the Oil Painting Department, Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, Hangzhou
Living and working in Beiijing
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2008
Wang Guangyi: Cold War Aesthetics, Louise Blouin Institute, London, United Kingdom
Visual Politics - Solo of Wang Guangyi, He Xiangning Art Museum, Guangdong, China
2007
Wang Guangyi, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
2006
Wang Guangyi, Galerie ARARIO, Seoul, Korea
2005
Art and People Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland
2004
Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, France
Wang Guangyi, Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland
2003
Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
2001
Soobin Art Gallery, Singapore
1997
Littman Kultureprojekte,Basel, Switzerland
1994
Hanart TZ Gallery,Hong Kong
Selected Group Exhibitions
2008
The Revolution Continues - New Art from China, The Saatchi Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Avant-Garde China: Tenty Years of Chinese Contemporary Art, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
Writing on the Wall: Chinese New Realism and Avant - Garde in the 80's and 90's, Groninger Museum, Groningen, NL
Case Studies of Artists in Art History and Art Criticism, SZ Art Center, Beijing, China
2007
RED HOT - Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
Absolute Images II, Arario Gallery, New York, USA
ShContemporary 2007, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai
2006
Plato and His Seven Spirits, Century OCT, Beijing, China
Jiang Hu Tilton Gallery, New York, USA
2005-06
Mahjong, Kunsthalle, Bern & Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
2005
Beautiful Cynicism, ARARIO BEIJING, Beijing, China
Plato and His Seven Spirits, Century OCT, Shenzhen, China
2004
Chine, le corps partout?,Museum of Contemporary Art, Marseilles, France
2003
Alors la Chine?, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
The First Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong, China
2002
50 x 50, FIAC 2002 and Chinese Contemporary Gallery, London, England
Image is Power, Shenzhen Art Museum, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
Paris-Peking, Espace Cardin, Paris, France
1st Guangzhou Triennale, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
Chinese Modernity, Armandao Alvares Penteado Foundation, Sao Paulo, Brazil
2001
New Image: 20 Years of Chinese Contemporary Painting, to tour major Chinese art museums
2000
At The New Century 1979-1999, China's Contemporary Art Works, Modern Art Museum, Chengdu, China
1999
1999 China, Limn Gallery, San Francisco, USA
Inside Out, PS1 New York, USA
First Invitational Exhibition of Shanghe Art Gallery, Shanghe (Upriver) Art Gallery, Chengdu, China
1997
8+8-1, 15 Contemporary Artists, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong
China Now, Kulturprojekte, Basel, Switzerland
1996
China!, Kunstmuseum, Bonn, Germany
Asia Pacific Triennial, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
1995
Kampnagel, Halle-K3, Hamburg, Germany
Aperto ‘95, Santa Monica Art Centre, Barcelona, Spain
Art to Swatch, The Museum of Architecture and Design, Chicago, USA
1994
22nd International Biennale of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Seoul 600 International Art Festival, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
1993
China Avant-Garde, Kunsthal, Berlin, MoMA , Rotterdam, Netherlands
45th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
China's New Art Post-1989, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
Mao Goes Pop, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia
1992
The First Guangzhou Biennale, Guangzhou, China
1991
Gallery Bianca Pilat, Milan, Italy
1990
Asia Pacific Museum, Pasadena, California, USA
Tokyo Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1989
Chinese National Art Exhibition, National Art Gallery, Beijing, China
1988
Shanghai Art Gallery, Shanghai, China
1984
National Art Gallery, Beijing, China