A Kneeling Mao Feels Wrath of Online Chinese
The bronze statue of Mao Zedong kneels, with his right hand on his chest and a sorry countenance. The Chinese words mean 'Repent!' (bbs.hsw.cn) Two bold Chinese artists are exhibiting works in the U.S. that could never be shown in Chinaand Chinese netizens, taken by the hard-hitting political commentary embedded in the pieces, are applauding furiously.
The exhibition The Gao Brothers: Grandeur and Catharsis, was held in the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, from mid-September last year to Jan. 2 this year.
It included a series of pictures of crimes committed under communism in China, but it was the remarkable life-sized statue of Mao Zedong in the exhibit, called Maos Guilt, that triggered the mass of online interest from Chinese.
The message may not have even escaped the museum if a Chinese blogger didnt pick up the news, and pen a blistering essay reflecting on the piece titled Repent! Mao Zedong.
Initially published on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, the author included a picture of the bronze, kneeling and clearly repentant Mao. Searches for Mao Zedong on Weibo are blocked, so the author remains anonymous, but the piece has been widely copied on Chinese websites.
The article was scathing: it says Mao was the combination of the most evil thoughts of the Eastern emperors and the Western totalitarians. He ruined the five thousand years of Chinese civilization, killed 80 million lives, and mercilessly destroyed humanity. He is the first of the three mass murderers of the twentieth century (Mao Zedong, Stalin, Hitler).
The article goes on to say: Mao should kneel in front of all the Chinese people and repent. He should kneel in front of the Chinese culture and repent. He should kneel in front of the conscience of mankind and repent.
P redictably, the essay was met with sharp rejoinders from the 50 Cent Army (individuals paid a putative fifty cents for every Internet post)but it was also heavily supported.
He knelt down. He sincerely knelt down! He knelt down with both knees in confession for the monstrous crimes he had committed. He put his left hand on the leg and right on his heart. His hair and eyebrows are like frost. With his eyes tightly closed, he looks old and serious, showing the pain caused by countless sins, posted one blogger using the literary handle Quiet flowers with permeated fragrance covering the path. His essay, posted on Chinas NetEase, one of the largest web portals, was later removed by censors. Others commented, kneeling down is too easy for Mao!
The kneeling Mao is one of the latest works from Chinese artists Gao Zhen and Gao Qiang. They also exhibited pictures of their family during the Cultural Revolution.
The two were born in Jinan, Shandong Province: Gao Zhen in 1956 and Gao Qiang in 1962.
In 1968 their father was declared a counter-revolutionary and detained; he reportedly committed suicide on the 25th day of custody.
The two brothers began working together in Beijing in 1985. They have since published a number of books on their art and held successful exhibits around the world.
Another sculpture by the Gao brothers: Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin's Head, a large stainless steel sculpture, also attracted a lot of attention and controversy in the Chinese community, when exhibited last year at the intersection of Elmbridge and Alderbridge Way, Richmond, Canada.
The exhibition The Gao Brothers: Grandeur and Catharsis, was held in the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, from mid-September last year to Jan. 2 this year.
It included a series of pictures of crimes committed under communism in China, but it was the remarkable life-sized statue of Mao Zedong in the exhibit, called Maos Guilt, that triggered the mass of online interest from Chinese.
The message may not have even escaped the museum if a Chinese blogger didnt pick up the news, and pen a blistering essay reflecting on the piece titled Repent! Mao Zedong.
Initially published on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, the author included a picture of the bronze, kneeling and clearly repentant Mao. Searches for Mao Zedong on Weibo are blocked, so the author remains anonymous, but the piece has been widely copied on Chinese websites.
The article was scathing: it says Mao was the combination of the most evil thoughts of the Eastern emperors and the Western totalitarians. He ruined the five thousand years of Chinese civilization, killed 80 million lives, and mercilessly destroyed humanity. He is the first of the three mass murderers of the twentieth century (Mao Zedong, Stalin, Hitler).
The article goes on to say: Mao should kneel in front of all the Chinese people and repent. He should kneel in front of the Chinese culture and repent. He should kneel in front of the conscience of mankind and repent.
P redictably, the essay was met with sharp rejoinders from the 50 Cent Army (individuals paid a putative fifty cents for every Internet post)but it was also heavily supported.
He knelt down. He sincerely knelt down! He knelt down with both knees in confession for the monstrous crimes he had committed. He put his left hand on the leg and right on his heart. His hair and eyebrows are like frost. With his eyes tightly closed, he looks old and serious, showing the pain caused by countless sins, posted one blogger using the literary handle Quiet flowers with permeated fragrance covering the path. His essay, posted on Chinas NetEase, one of the largest web portals, was later removed by censors. Others commented, kneeling down is too easy for Mao!
The kneeling Mao is one of the latest works from Chinese artists Gao Zhen and Gao Qiang. They also exhibited pictures of their family during the Cultural Revolution.
The two were born in Jinan, Shandong Province: Gao Zhen in 1956 and Gao Qiang in 1962.
In 1968 their father was declared a counter-revolutionary and detained; he reportedly committed suicide on the 25th day of custody.
The two brothers began working together in Beijing in 1985. They have since published a number of books on their art and held successful exhibits around the world.
Another sculpture by the Gao brothers: Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin's Head, a large stainless steel sculpture, also attracted a lot of attention and controversy in the Chinese community, when exhibited last year at the intersection of Elmbridge and Alderbridge Way, Richmond, Canada.
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