Wang Guangyi

Wang Guangyi was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province in 1957. He is a Chinese artist known as a leader of the new art movement that started in China after 1989, and for his *Great Criticism* series of paintings, which use images of propaganda from the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and contemporary brand names from Western advertising.

*Great Criticism* (1990-2007) is Wang Guangyi's most famous cycle of works. These works use propaganda images of the Cultural Revolution and contemporary logos from Western advertisements. Wang Guangyi began this cycle in 1990 and ended it in 2007 when he became convinced that its international success would compromise the original meaning of the works, namely that political and commercial propaganda are two forms of brainwashing.

In the 1990s, Wang Guangyi created series like *VISA* (1995-1998), *Passport* (1994-1995), and *Virus Carriers* (1996-1998). These works contain images of infants, adults, and dogs accompanied by their respective names, places, dates of birth, and genders. By highlighting the bureaucratic procedures tied to moving from one country to another, these works reveal the State's defenses when evaluating potential danger from individuals. Wang Guangyi reflects on the relationship between Power and the individual, where psychological pressure creates a tacit agreement to provide protection in exchange for the renouncement of some freedoms.

During the 2000s, the relationship between Wang Guangyi's works and the transcendent increased. His *Materialist* series (2001-2005) consists of sculptures depicting workers, farmers, and soldiers from propaganda images. According to Wang Guangyi, these images reveal the people's faith in ideology. In the *New Religion* series (2011), Wang Guangyi represents political and spiritual leaders, questioning the fascination they exert on humans and the commonalities between great utopias. His *Cold War Aesthetics* (2007-2008) installations explore the psychological effects of Cold War propaganda in China.