Zhou Yan Contemporary Chinese Art Archive 周彦当代中国艺术档案
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In the artist's statement, Zhao Shaoruo explained that "My life is Red, Yellow and Blue Respectively" photographic series documented the artist's personal life (spiritually and materially). It is composed of three different series, red, yellow and blue. There are ten photos in each series. Photos in the yellow series originated from old documentation of Mao's personal and political life. In the original photos, Mao is depicted by standing among pupils, workers and farmers; in others, he is depicted giving a speech or clapping amid a meeting. The message is to show Mao's leadership and how he is beloved by people. However, the artist replaced Mao's face with his own. Another thing the artist did throughout the series is to hang his foot in the air upon a photo. Zhao was one of the protesting students at Tiananmen square democracy movement while attending the Central Academy of Fine Art. He was arrested shortly after the event and released the next year and arrested again for 50 days in 1994. His defiance toward authorities may be reflected in this series by mocking at the deification of Mao. By replacing Mao’s face with his own, he deconstructed the sublimity and seriousness of the propaganda and furthermore, lashed out at the incumbent government. (Zhuocheng Jiang '26)
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ZhaoShaoRuo4010.jpg (14543 kB)
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ZhaoShaoRuo5012.jpg (14078 kB)
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ZhaoShaoRuoMyLifeisRed,Yellow,Blue,andRespectively013.tif (177037 kB)
ZhaoShaoRuoMyLifeisRed,Yellow,Blue,andRespectively014.jpg (16795 kB)
ZhaoShaoRuoMyLifeisRed,Yellow,Blue,andRespectively015.jpg (19156 kB)