No. 3

Wei Guangqing

Title: Made in China (2008)
Media: Silkscreen print
Dimension: 210 x 295 mm
Edition Size: 198

Price: USD 600 plus shipping

Wei Guangqing (b. 1962, Wuhan) is recognized as one of the earliest Chinese artists to explore the language of Pop Art, which became a mainstream trend in the 1980s and early 1990s. His works were labeled as “Cultural Pop” for its appropriation of traditional images juxtaposed with cultural symbols. His use of the red brick wall has become his trademark ready-made image, one that symbolizes the background of Chinese culture and politics.

This image is a unique seriograph of the 2004 canvas painting titled Made in China, which references the transition of contemporary Chinese art into a consumerist culture. As part of The Extended Virtuous Words series, named after a Chinese classic with the same title, he adopts the visual format of popular folk woodblock prints that were widely disseminated to the masses in the early 20th century. Wei’s works are recognized for his subversion of tradition and culture as he replaces the virtuous words with a unifying red wall in hopes to “extend” the meaning of his ideas.