Tian An Men (2015) offers a playful juxtaposition between a fading Tiananmen image and a folded RMB bill, aligning two overlapping portraits of Mao Zedong. Inspired by my own high school pastime of folding currency in class, this piece encourages viewers to shift their perspective, revealing subtly changing expressions and gently subverting the iconic visage. In doing so, Tian An Men also takes aim at the common—often clichéd—use of Mao’s image by expatriate Chinese artists as a convenient shorthand for cultural identity, inviting a more nuanced reflection on representation and belonging.
