Edition 2007
Brothers GAO
Gao Zhen was born in 1956, Gao Qiang in 1962, in China. They live and work in Beijing.
The Gao Brothers, Gao Zhen and Gao Qiang, are 2 artists brothers from Shadong Provence, North East of China. Today they have become two of the most renowned members of the new Chinese Art community travelling a unique path of artistic creation. They work in the Dashanzi Art District in Beijing where they have their own gallery space. Artistically collaborating since 1985, their works mostly include photography, staged photography, sculpture, installations and performance art using as a background the everyday changing social situation in China, not always keeping themselves out of political problems. Exposing at the 1989 China Avant Garde Art exhibition in Beijing they owned first time international fame when, bringing sexuality upfront, they showed their “Midnight mass” inflatable installation. Following the 1995 installation called “Crisis : The great Crucifix” they turned towards digitally manipulated photography images such as “Ruins”, a flying coin cutting down Mao’s image. Staged photography has become their major art direction since 2000, as can be seen in the series “Sense of Space” and “The Forever Unfinished Buildings” project. The Gao Brothers are also famous for their social sculpture Embrace, a work that encourages strangers to “Hug”. As well as being curators, historians and theorists they are also the authors of several publications including, “The Current State of Chinese Avant-Garde Art”, “Art Ecology Report” and “ How far can you Walk in One day in Beijing”. Their works are found in major contemporary art collections such as the Moma and the Guggenheim Foundation (NYC), the Pompidou Center (Paris) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London).
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