Wang Lang
Virtuality-History No. 6
Digital photograph mosaic on canvas (2008)
Limited edition prints available in two canvas sizes
Small: 113 cm x 90 cm (8 + 1 AP)
Large: 170 cm x 136 cm (6+ 1 AP)
This work is based on a scene from a model play or so-called revolutionary opera from the Cultural Revolution period (1967-1977) entitled "The Red Detachment of Women", one of only eight plays sanctioned for the 'education' and 'entertainment' of China's 800 hundred million people.
Historical Context and Contemporary Relevance
The choice of subject matter reveals a divergent approach to Western ballet based on communist propaganda which glorifies ideological purity, a revolutionary spirit, the militarisation of society, moral rectitude, patriotism, as well as a superficial attempt at displaying equality between men and women that is still far from a reality in today's China 50 years on from the so-called "Great Cultural Revolution".
Fifty years on there is talk among many Chinese of a second Cultural Revolution, where the tiny space for academic freedom and any sort of political discussion or dissent is once again being all but eliminated and the political structure is also reverting to a strong-man dictatorship akin to the Maoist period which also ended 50 years earlier.
Initially the pixel elements of this very political, and perhaps even controversial work, to some might seem rather crass and disrespectful, but the use of dildos and vibrators as pixels in depicting this sword-bearing female ballet dancer in her childish military uniform is a powerful symbol which smashes through the lies behind the propaganda of the model Chinese communist as righteous, moral and possessed of consummate revolutionary purity.
From a more cynical viewpoint, the sexually crude nature of the pixel elements forcefully disintegrate the puritanical propagandistic veneer and speak to the reality behind the society and the power structure, whereby individual female performers in ballet and performance troupes associated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are often offered up as 'gifts' for army leaders and officials to sleep with as a form of bribery. In some cases, these female performers may also be used as weapons for sexual blackmail through sex video recordings or for the purpose of engaging in espionage and intelligence gathering between competing party factions or competitors vying for higher positions of power.
From a simpler standpoint, these female performers may also be considered commodities for the consumption of those with power and privilege, as 'sex toys' so to speak.
The work also stands as a more general metaphor for the contradiction between the Chinese government's pretense of moral superiority and purity with that of the corrupt, immoral and exploitative reality which underlies the nature of the regime.
Once again, Wang Lang is challenging our perception of reality in a somewhat harsh and shocking, yet bitterly satirical fashion. He is reminding us that nothing may be what it appears to be and that there is a much deeper and more meaningful path to ultimate wisdom that lays bare the illusory nature of mundane existence.
Chris Harry
(Site Curator)
Virtuality-History No. 6
Digital photograph mosaic on canvas (2008)
Limited edition prints available in two canvas sizes
Small: 113 cm x 90 cm (8 + 1 AP)
Large: 170 cm x 136 cm (6+ 1 AP)
This work is based on a scene from a model play or so-called revolutionary opera from the Cultural Revolution period (1967-1977) entitled "The Red Detachment of Women", one of only eight plays sanctioned for the 'education' and 'entertainment' of China's 800 hundred million people.
Historical Context and Contemporary Relevance
The choice of subject matter reveals a divergent approach to Western ballet based on communist propaganda which glorifies ideological purity, a revolutionary spirit, the militarisation of society, moral rectitude, patriotism, as well as a superficial attempt at displaying equality between men and women that is still far from a reality in today's China 50 years on from the so-called "Great Cultural Revolution".
Fifty years on there is talk among many Chinese of a second Cultural Revolution, where the tiny space for academic freedom and any sort of political discussion or dissent is once again being all but eliminated and the political structure is also reverting to a strong-man dictatorship akin to the Maoist period which also ended 50 years earlier.
Initially the pixel elements of this very political, and perhaps even controversial work, to some might seem rather crass and disrespectful, but the use of dildos and vibrators as pixels in depicting this sword-bearing female ballet dancer in her childish military uniform is a powerful symbol which smashes through the lies behind the propaganda of the model Chinese communist as righteous, moral and possessed of consummate revolutionary purity.
From a more cynical viewpoint, the sexually crude nature of the pixel elements forcefully disintegrate the puritanical propagandistic veneer and speak to the reality behind the society and the power structure, whereby individual female performers in ballet and performance troupes associated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are often offered up as 'gifts' for army leaders and officials to sleep with as a form of bribery. In some cases, these female performers may also be used as weapons for sexual blackmail through sex video recordings or for the purpose of engaging in espionage and intelligence gathering between competing party factions or competitors vying for higher positions of power.
From a simpler standpoint, these female performers may also be considered commodities for the consumption of those with power and privilege, as 'sex toys' so to speak.
The work also stands as a more general metaphor for the contradiction between the Chinese government's pretense of moral superiority and purity with that of the corrupt, immoral and exploitative reality which underlies the nature of the regime.
Once again, Wang Lang is challenging our perception of reality in a somewhat harsh and shocking, yet bitterly satirical fashion. He is reminding us that nothing may be what it appears to be and that there is a much deeper and more meaningful path to ultimate wisdom that lays bare the illusory nature of mundane existence.
Chris Harry
(Site Curator)