The Luo Brothers’ work juxtaposes icons from Chinese communism with mass-market consumerism, building on a critical approach to the new China begun in the 1990s by exponents of what Li Xianting termed ‘Political Pop’ or ‘Cynical Realism.’ Born just after the Cultural Revolution, the three brothers were each given patriotic, revolutionary names: Luo Weidong (defender of the Orient), Luo Weiguo (defender of the country) and Luo Weibing (defender of the body).
The brother’s work reflects on the huge changes that have taken place in China in their lifetimes, where red advertisements for Coca-Cola have become as ubiquitous as the red, national flag. They employ traditional craft making techniques of lacquer paint on wood and ink on paper to create eye-popping, psychedelic designs that replace the conventional Chinese system of alternating empty space and form with an obsessive excess of imagery. With a few notable exceptions, all their work is subsumed under the series title ‘Welcome to the Worldwide Famous Brands’ (2004), the foreign brands of Heineken, Pepsi, 7-Up as and Coca-Cola taking the place of political slogans. The Luo Brothers leave a level of ambiguity over the extent to which the work is a celebration or critique of the emergence of a new consumer culture, and of the changing political system from China’s Cultural Revolution to its recent industrialization and entry into the global marketplace.