In China, before the advanced multimedia and the consumerist billboard were popularized, blackboard was the main tool of education and propaganda. In the 60s and 70s, the blackboards were the cheapest, the simplest and the most convenient media of cultural entertainments. Because of the rich history background, the contents on the blackboards are easy to read, often rough but picturesque, also concise and precise. This type of media was everywhere: it could appear at the back of a classroom, at the gate of a factory, besides the road of a community, or in a village. Because of the accessibility, it gave the art enthusiasts opportunities to compose. The Chinese contemporary artists were whether forced or voluntary, involved in composing on the experimental tool of enlightening the domestic tastes.
In this work, Geng Jianyi put colorful plastic flowers on the positions where the characters or pictures should be on the blackboards. The fake, kitsch, cheap, meaningless, yet permanent plastic flowers make up pink, blue and yellow squares. It is like the abstract expression of the contents on the blackboard, presents the audience a peaceful joyfulness.
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