CHINA: The image of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong is becoming a hot international art commodity, but not everyone is happy about the use of his image as a cultural icon

Almost 30 years after his death, the legacy of Mao Zedong lives on in China. Revered as the nation's founding father, taxi drivers still hang Mao pendants in their car to look for protection and a prosperity in business. Despite the deaths of millions in famine sparked by Mao's disastrous Great Leap Forward, Mao is still regarded as a national hero. In recent years, the image of Mao has become a potent increasingly the focus of a tussle over how his image should be used . In Beijing, an exhibition called "Mao and Modern Art" opened on September 25, showcasing more than 30 works of art all using the image of Mao. Scheduled to run until November 15, it was forced to close after less than a week following protests by factory workers offended by the use of Mao's image. The artworks include sculptures of Mao holding a cellphone with the slogan "Serve the People" and Mao spewing out a sea of red bubbles. Mao mania has been sparked by the high prices his image commands in the West. Artist Liu Liguo said he was not looking to exploit Mao's image for financial gain - he simply wanted to explore his impact on Chinese society. "This is a tragedy, I think. Why should our values be controlled by the Western market? We should be in charge of our own destiny. We live in this environment and we are influenced by it. Mao had a great influence on me," said Liu. Mao as a cultural icon is nothing new - Andy Warhol first used a pop art image of Mao back in 1972, but it has become emblematic of China's booming art scene which was all but destroyed during Mao's rule. "Mao was a social symbol of the 60's. Then the social structure was changed, Mao became a normal artistic symbol. Mao stepped down from the holy altar and walked close to the common people and pop culture. I want to show this in my exhibition," said curator of the exhibition, Cheng Xindong. Tang Di, a visitor to the exhibition, said Mao art works would inevitably sell well in the West. "I personally think these art works will be very popular in the West because they have very clear political symbols. It's Mao plus other typical cultural elements, for example the Mao statues with traditional ceramics patterns. These typical patterns and symbols can be easily recognized and accepted by westerners," said Tang Di. At home, however, it's a different story. The factory workers appalled by the use of Mao's image successfully lobbied for the show to close. But the image of Mao remains as large and as potent as ever - looking down on Tiananmen Square.

ITN Source | October 15, 2005

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