Wang Guangyi’s Visa series grew out of his experiences in the 1990s, during which Chinese artists were increasingly invited to international exhibitions, but faced difficulty acquiring travel visas from foreign nations. Basic data such as name, sex, and place of birth are noted in the paintings to reference the dehumanizing process of applying for foreign travel visas, which simplify individuals into a series of traits to be granted or denied movement.

© Wang Guangyi, photo: Wang Guangyi Studio

La serie Colección numismática de Ren Jian se apoya en un código visual reconocido mundialmente. Un conjunto de banderas de África, Asia, Europa y Sudamérica se representan en lienzos individuales, marcados con impresiones pintadas a mano y códigos de barras para indicar la transmisión internacional de información. En conjunto, los sellos de banderas reunidos representan la visión de Ren de la armonía entre las naciones.

© Ren Jian, photo © Museum Associates/ LACMA

任戩的系列作品《集郵》源於一類全世界通用的視覺編碼。一組來自非洲、亞洲、歐洲以及南美洲的各國旗幟被繪製在單張的油畫布上。國旗郵票上標記的手繪郵戳暗示著國際間的信息傳播。整體而言，這些國旗郵票表達了任戩對於各國之間和諧共處的願景。

© Ren Jian, photo © Museum Associates/ LACMA

Ren Jian’s Stamp Collection series relies upon a visual code recognized around the world. An assembly of flags from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America are depicted on individual canvases, marked with hand-painted prints and barcodes to indicate the international transmission of information. Together, the collected flag stamps represent Ren’s vision of harmony across nations.

© Ren Jian, photo © Museum Associates/ LACMA

En esta serie, Shi Jinsong transforma los logotipos de gigantes corporativos (muchos, como los que aparecen aquí, procedentes de Occidente) en afiladas cuchillas, creando armas esculturales que son a la vez lujosas y violentas. Muy influenciado por el budismo, el artista es muy crítico del materialismo y aborda en sus obras su preocupación por el aferramiento a lo material.

在這一系列作品中，史金淞重塑了企業巨頭的標誌——其中許多標誌與此次展出的作品一樣來自西方。將標誌改造為尖利的鋒刃，藝術家由此創作出了既奢華又暴力的雕塑武器。受到佛教的深刻影響，史金淞對物質主義持批判態度，並透過作品表達出對物質性的關注。

In this series, Shi Jinsong transforms logos from corporate giants—many, like those featured here, hailing from the West—into sharp blades, creating sculptural weapons that are both luxurious and violent. Strongly influenced by Buddhism, the artist is highly critical of materialism, and addresses his concerns over material attachment in his works.

Zhou Tiehai ha convertido a Joe Camel (la antigua mascota de los cigarrillos Camel) en su propio personaje característico al recrear obras de arte históricas y sustituir las figuras centrales por el icono publicitario Joe Camel, que a veces se entiende como un sustituto del propio Zhou (sus nombres son homónimos entre sí). Estas obras abordan los temas de la fama dentro del mundo de las bellas artes, el canon artístico occidental y la cultura de marca internacional.

周鐵海運用再現手法將歷史畫作的中心人物替換為廣告圖標喬·駱駝，從而將喬·駱駝（原為駱駝牌香煙的吉祥物）轉變成為他自己的標誌性形象。由於二者的姓名讀音相近，喬·駱駝有時也被解讀為周鐵海自身的替代。這些畫作涉及了美術世界、西方藝術經典以及國際品牌文化中的許多著名主題。同時，這類作品使人回想起文化大革命時期（1966-76）對政治領袖的偶像崇拜。周鐵海人生中的第一個十年，就是在這一時期度過的。

Zhou Tiehai has turned Joe Camel (the former mascot of Camel cigarettes) into his own signature character by recreating historical works of art and replacing the central figures with the advertising icon Joe Camel, sometimes read as a stand-in for Zhou himself (their names are homonyms of each other). These works engage with themes of fame within the fine art world, the Western art canon, and international brand culture. These pieces recall the idolization of political leaders during the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), which aligned with the first decade of Zhou’s life.