Loophole (Obey)
Liao Guohe
廖国核
Production date
2013
Object Detail
Media
acrylic on canvas
Measurements
162 x 200 cm
Notes
Loophole (Obey) (2013) is perhaps the most direct representation of contemporary Chinese society to be found in Liao Guohe’s paintings: a small figure in the foreground, perforated with holes, is Everyman. A large dark figure, representing a policeman in Liao’s iconography, looms over him. The work represents a world in which authoritarian rule decrees obedience, order and social harmony (although in popular Chinese slang, to be ‘harmonised’ means that you’ve been censored). The reality is quite different; it’s a world full of loopholes that can be navigated by those who are savvy enough, and slippery enough, to find them. This is Liao’s biting version of ‘Socialism with Chinese characteristics.’
Accession number
2014.182