Gao Zhen, a 70-year-old celebrated Chinese artist, is set to face trial for defaming national heroes and martyrs. The charge stems from artworks created decades ago that exposed the trauma of China's Cultural Revolution, a brutal era that continues to cast a long shadow over the country's politics, culture, and economy.
The trial has sparked widespread concern among artists, scholars, and human rights advocates, both within China and internationally. It raises questions about the limits of creative expression under the current leadership and whether the Communist Party is willing to tolerate critiques of its legacy. The law under which Gao Zhen has been prosecuted did not exist at the time he created these artworks, nor when they were initially displayed.
The Cultural Revolution, launched by Mao Zedong six decades ago, was a decade of intense political upheaval and violence that profoundly impacted China. It led to the deaths or suicides of an estimated two million people and the persecution of tens of millions more, including high-ranking officials and ordinary citizens. The era, characterised by chaos, zealotry, and stagnation, left deep societal scars that still affect China today.
Gao Zhen's artworks were a poignant critique of this period, satirising figures like Mao Zedong. Despite the artists' cautious approach to displaying work that might be deemed sensitive by authorities, Gao Zhen was arrested during a visit home to see family. His brother, Gao Qiang, commented on the situation, observing that 'This situation is exactly what those works were meant to critique.' The case underscores a perceived tightening of the space for not only dissent but also creative expression in China under the current leadership.
The Cultural Revolution represented a significant rupture in communist China's history, eventually leading to a period of reform and opening after Mao's death. However, its legacy continues to manifest in various aspects of Chinese society, including its culture, economy, and politics, with a lasting psychological impact. During that era, artistic expression was heavily controlled, with Mao's credo that 'there is no such thing as art for art’s sake' dominating, leading to the destruction of many classical and Western works and their replacement with a limited, doctrinaire repertoire.
Gao Zhen is reported to be in poor health. Furthermore, his wife, Zhao Yaliang, and their eight-year-old son, Gao Jia – an American citizen – have been prevented from leaving China since Gao's detention, despite neither being accused of wrongdoing nor being witnesses in the case. This aspect of the situation has led artists, scholars, and others from China to describe the case in a petition for Gao's release as 'repeating the persecutions of the Cultural Revolution'.