Liu Ding

A Year · Marx

A Year · Marx by Liu Ding consists of a piece of silk onto which a poem about Marx is printed using inkjet. The work is part of the silk inkjet series A Year, which features political poems from Pine Trees on the Square, a series that Liu Ding wrote for the 2015 Istanbul Biennial. The year 2015 marked a critical political juncture for China, orchestrated by its current leadership and centered around propositions for nationalism. The adopted proposition led to changes in the country’s position in the global world. The “self-confidence in culture” and a resulting collective tendency toward self-indulgence have set China apart from the world. In the following year, Liu Ding produced this set of realistic poems portraying the changing social conditions in China. Combining the poems with images related to the content, he transforms the original texts into a group of visually multi-layered and compelling works on silk.

In this particular work, on the top part of the silk is a bird’s-eye view map of the Alps. On the right, is an image of an entry ticket to Marx’s tomb in London, which Liu Ding visited personally in 2013. On the left, is the poem written by the artist, titled Marx. Marxism spread from Europe to China in the late 19th century and has been influential in China for nearly 100 years. Indeed, in the name of ‘Marxism’, China has developed an alienated interpretation of the philosophy and ideology, carried out through various social and political forms. Members of the Chinese Communist Party took various journeys to London to memorize Marx in the cemetery and shop in the city, which the artist witnessed during his visit. In a personal and poetic way, Liu Ding juxtaposes relevant fragments in one composition, recording what he experienced while expressing his suspicions on the substance of the socialist ideology in China.