Mao artist Gao Zhen held under Chinese law against defaming revolutionary ‘heroes’
Artist and his brother Gao Qiang are well-known for their critical depictions of Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution
Gao Zhen, a Chinese artist who is known for his critical depictions of Mao Zedong, has been detained under a law banning the defamation of “heroes and martyrs”.
In a post published on Facebook on Saturday, the artist’s brother Gao Qiang said the 58-year-old had been detained on Monday when police came to the pair’s studio in Sanhe, Hebei province, on the outskirts of Beijing.
Gao Zhen’s wife received a detention notice last Tuesday, saying her husband was suspected of “injuring the reputation and honour of a hero or martyr”, the post added.
The new offence was added to China’s criminal law in 2021 and carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
The addition came three years after another law passed in 2018 that bans the defamation of those who died protecting the country.
The Gao brothers have exhibited their works internationally and many of them feature critical, sometimes provocative presentations of Mao. The most famous of these is Mao’s Guilt, which depicts a kneeling Mao as a sinner.
