Chinese, b. 1982; lives and works in New York, USA
During 2010 and 2011, Chongqing's former mayor Bo Xilai led the infamous "red campaign" that aimed to reinforce and revive Communist revolutionary ideology through the draconian censorship of entertainment and enforced codes of conduct reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution during the '60s. The campaign ended with Bo's arrest for corruption and murder charges in the following year, but it nevertheless left a profound impact on the city of Chongqing and the political landscape of the People's Republic of China at large. Wang's video essay China Concerto traces this tumultuous year using footage of bureaucratic performances and political speeches, connected by an observational voice-over. While a broadcast of a children's choir singing revolutionary rally songs plays, the voice narrates, "Only [the officials] are the audiences, I began to understand it's not about the quality of the performance, but the transfer of power from the spectacle to the bureaucracy."
