This large-scale painting, nearly five feet by five feet, is a tour-de force by Chinese contemporary artist Zhao Bo (B. 1974, Sichuan, China) whose works are famous for capturing the energetic and ironic themes of a modern China in a post-Mao world, exploring the clash between communism and capitalism with an explosive range of colors and characters. His work mocks the social realist propaganda of Communist China, inserting cartoonish renditions of the ideal Chinese worker. Instead of adoring their “revered” Chairman Mao and Communist principles, the figures in Zhao Bo’s work worship the items and luxury goods of mass consumerism. Zhao Bo captures the essence of the ludicrous, juxtaposing memorial arches and monuments with totems dedicated to fast food icons and cartoon characters. This work is unframed and in excellent condition.

Zhao Bo has exhibited at venues the world over including shows at the Art Museum of Yuangong (Shanghai, CN), Chinese Contemporary Gallery (London, UK), and the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art (Denver, CO). Zhao Bo and artists of this generation of New Realism look to their immediate surroundings, most often urban life in the city streets in China, as their inspiration and produce works inspired by these scenes. Younger Chinese artists like Zhao are leading the way in re-contextualizing post-Cultural Revolution/Mao era imagery, growing up in what is being called China's "post-political society", where moral standards have loosened and private wealth has increased dramatically.