It wz wɖ ɖs in mînd ɖt at 11pm wn nît rlịr ɖs munʈ Wañ n a tīm v 22 uɖrz pentd a Ćînīz p’liticl slogn in bold red caṛctrz alñ a nirbî wōl strećñ nirli 100 mītrz.

Ɖ artwrc – ẃć spelt ǎt ɖ Ćînīz guvnmnt’s “soṣ́list corvalyz”, includñ ɖ wrdz pṛspeṛti, dmocṛsi n frīdm – wz dzînd t b a “sîḷnt rmîndr v ɖ opreśn v ʈt, presfrīdm n fri spīć ɖt z stl rampnt in Ćîna in 2023”, ɖ artists sd.

It pṛvoct uɖrz t gṛfīti ovr it wɖ refṛnsz t ɖ Tiaṇnmn Sqer maṣcr in 1989, n ɖ frezz “Fri Tîwan”, “Fri T’bét” n “Fri Uigrz”. Bt in a muv dscrîbd bî sm az îronicli ttaḷterịn, Tǎr Hamlits caunsl swiftli pentd ovr ɖ wōl’z mes v slognz n iśùd Wañ a £50 fîn.

“Cntmprri art z ol abt dǎtñ evrʈñ n hvñ a rbełs spirit,” sd ɖ 27-yir-old, hu olso gz bî ɖ nem Yi Ćua. In ɖt sns ɖ wrc – cnsrnd wɖ dmocṛsi, fri spīć n ɖ poḷrîzd îdioḷjiz v Ćînīz n YC culćrz – wz īvn mor s’xesfl fr him ɖn xpctd.

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“Ppl mcñ deʈ̓rets n xpresñ objx́nz ʈru vayḷnt mīnz, ɖt’s xacli śowñ ɖr’z a lūphoul in ɖ sistm v dmocṛsi alawñ ttaḷterịn forsz t xplôt ɖs lūphoul,” h sd, spīcñ in Manḍrin. “Y canot solv ɖ probḷm v ttaḷtẹrịnizm ʈru ttaḷterịn mīnz.”Ɖ wrc hz cm at a momnt ẃn YC-Ćîna rleśnz r ptiklrli strend. Last munʈ, Hoñ Coñ oʈoṛtiz ofrd a bǎnti fr ɖ arest v et oṿsìz acṭvists – ʈri v hūm r livñ in Britn – amd incrisñ cnsrnz v trnznaśnl opreśn. Ɖ foṛn secṛtri, Jemz Cleṿli, z traṿlñ t Bêźñ on Wnzde fr mītñz, in a bid t rny p’liticl daylog btwn ɖ tū neśnz.

“Art z riyli abt hǎ t rflect ẃt’s in ɖ public n gv ɖ public a spes t dscus n rflect on ɖer ǒn,” sd Wañ, hu intrpṛts ɖ slogn az poẓtiv n az reprizntñ ẃt śd b yṇvrsl valyz, nt jst ɖoz ɖ Ćînīz Coḿnist parti clemz t hold.

Az an artist, Wañ sz h z inṭrestd in xplorñ ɖ crosnaśnl pspctiv on hǎ ɖ YC n Ćîna difr îdịlojicli, n ẃr ɖe c’lîd.

In a prīvịs wrc, h plest fîv matṛsz in Pic̣dili Src̣s, oḟrñ t pe wilñ ptisipnts a minimm wej t lî dǎn in ɖ hart v sntṛl Lundn – smʈñ h b’livz wd’nt b axptd in Ćîna. Bfr muvñ t Lundn a yir ago, h peid duznz v Ćînīz farmrz t b rcordd jumpñ lîc frogz in a fīld.

Fr Wañ, ɖ setñ v hiz lêtist artwrc in Bric Len z simbolic v ɖ YC’z “fri” n “ceotic” culćr ɖt standz in starc contrast t Ćînīz ssayti, ẃr sć gṛfīti dz nt xist.

Ɖ caunsl’z dsiźn t pent ovr ɖ slogn, n ɖ gṛfīti ɖt foloud, riḍklz ɖ “wstn cnspśn” v fri spīć n dmocṛsi, h sd. “It’s olso part v ɖ frīdm v spīć in ɖ YC’z valyz. Mcñ ɖs dsiźn t pent it ovr z riyli śowñ ɖ hipocṛsi v ɖ wst.”

Ẃn asct f ɖ wrc hd bn misintrpṛtd, Wañ sd mni ppl d’nt rflect proprli on art n ɖt tù mć v ɖ foc̣s hd bn on him rɖr ɖn ɖ wrc itslf.“Ɖ oʈr z olrdi ded aftr ɖ wrc z publiśt,” sd Wañ, a refṛns t ɖ Frenć raitr Roland Barthes.

“I c’nt cntrol it, I’m jst ɖr fr ɖ wrc t hapn.”

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