One day in 2008, YANG Zhenzhong passed by an advertisement and sign production shop near home. Upon looking in, the artist noticed workers producing one sign in mass quantities. The sign had a bright red background and yellow lettering; the content was simply “I” and “China” as well as a "heart" character composed of four stars. This style was particularly popular at the time for multiple reasons. In 2008 China hosted the Olympics. This event along with other internal affairs, such as the Wenchuan earthquake, gave rise to a sudden increase in nationalism. This politically powerful image is reproduced by the artist with a small but intriguing change: the artist maintains the original style and content of the sign, but the proud “red, bright and shining” is now a dark and mysterious black.
HUANG Le in 2013 (Translated by Richelle Simon)
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