China trials dissident artist over satirical Mao sculptures

BEIJING: Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen was tried on Monday over his provocative satirical sculptures of former leader Mao Zedong.

His wife and a rights group said the trail comes amid the allegations of “defaming national heroes and martyrs,” regarding Zhen.

The one-day trial of the 69-year-old took place closed-door and at Sanhe City People’s Court in Hebei province, near Beijing, and concluded without a verdict.

Zhao Yaliang, Gao’s wife, said she was barred from entering the courtroom after the trial started, as Shane Yi, the rights group researcher, reported the information from Gao’s lawyers.

Verdicts in such cases are often announced months later, according to Reuters.

The accused, who moved to the US in 2022, was detained during a family visit to China in August 2024, despite making previous trips without incident.

Zhao condemned Gao Zhen’s detention, saying, “Gao is an artist. He has a right to artistic freedom.”

Together with his brother Gao Qiang, Gao created controversial works critiquing the 1966–1976 Cultural Revolution, including Miss Mao and Mao’s Guilt.

Zhao said she and their seven-year-old American son are under exit bans and have not seen Gao since 2024. Gao reportedly suffers from malnutrition and chronic health issues.

He faces charges for works produced between 2005 and 2009, despite the Law on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs being enacted in 2018 and strengthened in 2021. The law has been used to prosecute those accused of insulting military or historical figures.

In 2021, a comedian was fined $2 million for referencing a People’s Liberation Army slogan. The Sanhe Public Security Bureau did not comment.