The Black Hand Painting

This was originally titled ‘Mr. Jolly’ when created in the China studio, in the bustling garden city of Chengdu. As with most cities, you generally don't have to travel too far to encounter the remnants of Maoist China. There's a curious power to the icons that remain in place. The title was a placeholder until I got myself out of China, I'd already had my fill of confrontations over the assumed (or occasionally intended) political connotations in my work. I've discussed numerous times within my work the curious power that remains within Mao's image, a legacy that personally fascinated me in the years I'd spent living and working in China. 'The Black Hand' is direct reference to this, and my attempt to offer some alternate, or perhaps unspoken perspective on the hidden forces affecting Chinese citizens as their environment constantly evolves. This piece was also essentially a draft of the 'five word prose' idea I initiated two years prior. Looking for form, I began experimenting with the idea of complimenting the prose with imagery. I had planned to make a series of these works, having drafted numerous pieces of prose/imagery, but alas as it turned out my days in China were numbered. Perhaps I'd finally outstayed my welcome, having been warned on a number of occasions of the risk in defacing Mao's image. Of course for me this presented yet more reason for pursuing the line of enquiry, making the work a fitting reference to such ambiguous taboo. Unbeknownst to me at the time of making this, I would soon find myself in Hong Kong during the first wave of protests, being refused a return visa to China. Several social media posts of mine on the WeChat platform were blocked during my stay, potentially sealing my fate on subsequent visa application rejections. Hidden forces at work perhaps...

Painting:Screenprinting on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:39.4 W x 59.1 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.