Artist: Tongqiang Mao
Title: Mirage NO.27
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 140 x 180 cm
Condition Report: In good condition

Description:
A striking horizontal composition featuring Mao Zedong and his second wife, Yang Kaihui (1901-1930), set against a surreal and dreamlike landscape. At the center, Yang Kaihui holds an issue of the Xiangjiang Review (湘江评论), a short-lived journal edited by Mao in Changsha, Hunan Province, between June and August 1919. The backdrop presents an emerald green sky in sharp contrast to vivid pink mountains, heightening the otherworldly atmosphere. The interplay of historical reference and surreal color palette lends the piece a compelling visual and conceptual depth.

About the Artist:
Mao Tongqiang (born 1960) lives and works between Beijing and Yinchuan.

Graduating from the Fine Art Department at Yinchuan Normal Specialized Postsecondary College in 1980, Mao furthered his studies at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art) from 1984 to 1986. Since the 1990s, his work has explored themes of human existence in an evolving society, often addressing history, politics, and cultural memory. His Death Files series reflects his concerns for humanity and social structures, while later works such as Tools, Title Deeds, and Classics engage with concepts of freedom, rights, and belief through found objects and historical artifacts.

Mao’s work has been exhibited internationally, including solo shows at the Singapore Art Museum, China Art Archive and Warehouse, Wall Art Museum, and Songzhuang Art Museum. He has also participated in major exhibitions at the Bergen Art Museum, Groninger Museum, Deichtorhallen, and WuZhen.