Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, 70, has been sentenced to three years in prison over sculptures depicting communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, August 25, by the Sanhe City People’s Court in Hebei Province, according to the New York Times.
The sentence was issued under a 2021 amendment introduced by People’s Republic of China (PRC) leader Xi Jinping, which bars any perceived slander of China’s designated heroes and martyrs. Prosecutors cited works made between 2005 and 2009, including images of Mao repenting and aiming fire at Jesus. Another work mentioned in the case is an enlarged bust of Mao with a cartoonish nose and enlarged breasts.
Gao, who is based in New York, creates work with his younger brother Gao Qiang under the name “Gao Brothers.” The pair are widely known for satirical and critical sculptures of the PRC founder and former Chinese Communist Party Chairman, including the Miss Mao series, which they produced from 2006 to 2009. Their work was featured in a major retrospective at the Kemper Museum of Art in Kansas City from 2010 to 2011, titled Grandeur and Catharsis.
Zhen was arrested in August 2024 while visiting family in Hubei province, setting off a prolonged legal battle similar to those faced in recent years by other Chinese artists, including Ai Weiwei and Guo Gai. Chinese authorities have ignored international protests and artist petitions over the arrest, while also continuing to prevent his wife and son from leaving the country.
