When Wang Hanzheng, a Chinese student at the Royal College of Art, visited a graduate show in a warehouse on Brick Lane in east London in July, he was disappointed with the space. He found it crowded, unimaginative, and ill-suited for presenting art. Inspired by this experience, Wang and a team of 22 others took matters into their own hands one night earlier this month and painted a Chinese political slogan on a nearby wall. In bold red characters spanning nearly 100 meters, they spelled out the Chinese government’s “socialist core values,” including words like prosperity, democracy, and freedom. The intention behind this artwork was to serve as a silent reminder of the continued oppression of thought, press freedom, and free speech in China in 2023.
The presence of the artwork sparked graffiti from others, referencing the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, and advocating for “Free Taiwan,” “Free Tibet,” and “Free Uyghurs”. However, Tower Hamlets council swiftly painted over the wall, eliminating the slogans, and issued Wang a £50 fine. Some people found this move ironically totalitarian. Despite the setback, Wang, also known as Yi Que, believes that contemporary art should challenge everything and possess a rebellious spirit. In that sense, the artwork, which explores democracy, free speech, and the polarized ideologies of Chinese and UK cultures, was even more successful than he had anticipated.
Shortly after the graffiti appeared, a wave of backlash emerged online, which alarmed Wang. He faced death threats on social media, while his family in China received threatening phone calls. Wang views these violent reactions as evidence of a flaw in the democratic system, allowing totalitarian forces to exploit loopholes. He believes that you cannot combat totalitarianism with the same means.
This artwork arrives at a time of strained UK-China relations, as demonstrated by the recent bounty offered by Hong Kong authorities for the arrest of certain overseas activists, including three residing in Britain. Against this backdrop, Wang sees art as a means to reflect the public’s concerns and provide space for discussion and self-reflection. He interprets the slogan as a representation of universal values, not just those claimed by the Chinese Communist party.
Wang’s artistic interests lie in exploring the ideological differences and collisions between the UK and China. One of his previous works involved placing mattresses in Piccadilly Circus and paying willing participants a minimum wage to lie down in the heart of central London — something he believes would not be accepted in China. Before moving to London, he filmed Chinese farmers jumping in a field, exploring the contrast between free and chaotic culture in the UK and more restrictive society in China.
Despite the council’s decision to paint over his artwork and the subsequent graffiti, Wang believes that it exposes the hypocrisy of the western conception of free speech and democracy. He has faced criticism but finds solace in an anonymous letter of support sent to the art college.
When asked if the work has been misinterpreted, Wang asserts that many people fail to properly reflect on art and that too much focus has been placed on him rather than the artwork itself. He takes inspiration from the French writer Roland Barthes, who said, “The author is already dead after the work is published.” Ultimately, Wang acknowledges that he cannot control the reception of his work; he is merely there to facilitate its existence.
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