Zhou Yan Contemporary Chinese Art Archive 周彦当代中国艺术档案
一路88 '奔'小康 (Road to Get Rich, Strive for a Humble Life）
Description
In this piece, the artist plays with language. The image shows a group of people holding up a sign that says 一路88 '奔'小康. "88" refers to "getting rich" because the pronunciation of 8 and "发“ from ”发财", literally meaning to get rich, have similar pronunciations. Additionally, the character 奔 is written incorrectly on the poster. Considering the phrase '奔小康' was used by the communist party, the incorrect writing by the artist may be an attempt at satirizing the regime. The juxtaposition between the contemporary slang term 'get rich' and the communist phrase might suggest a political or social critique. Lastly, the skin tones of the people in the image may also be a commentary on race in China. (Nicole Wang'26).
Rights Statement
