Chinese artist, Gao Zhen, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for “slandering China’s heroes and martyrs” through artworks “mocking” former President Mao Zedong.
Gao Zhen, aged 70, is one half of the Gao Brothers artistic duo, alongside his brother, Gao Qiang. Internationally acclaimed, they are known for their satirical artworks, including sculptures depicting Mao and his legacy. Both brothers are resident in the USA.
Gao Zhen was detained in August 2024 while visiting China with his wife and son. He was tried in a one-day closed hearing in March 2026, 19 months after his arrest, during which time he remained in detention throughout. Taking into account the time he has already served, his sentence will expire in August 2027. He intends to appeal his conviction.
The law under which Gao was convicted, protecting the “reputation of China’s heroes and martyrs”. It was enacted in 2018, a decade after the contentious sculptures were created between 2005 and 2009. The retroactive application of the law, alongside the serving of the maximum penalty of three years in prison, is additional cause for alarm.
There are concerns about Gao’s poor health and limited access to his family in prison. His wife and young son have been barred from returning to the USA since Gao was arrested although they have not been charged with a crime.
The sentence against Gao Zhen sends a stark message to artists in China: that works that challenge the Chinese authorities’ narrative on historical figures could lead to prosecution and imprisonment and have a wider chilling effect on creative freedom.
Freemuse joins international condemnation of the sentence against Gao Zhen and calls for his conviction to be overturned and for him to be freed immediately and unconditionally, enabling him and his family to return to the USA. Freemuse also calls on the Chinese authorities to repeal or revise laws protecting the “reputation and honour of heroes and martyrs” that breach international protections for freedom of expression, and to end the use of criminal law to punish peaceful artistic expression.
Read more about the Gao Brothers work and campaign for Gao Zhen’s release on the Gao Brothers Facebook site.
Sources include:
Amnesty International: China: Maximum sentence for artist Gao Zhen is an assault on artistic freedom
The Guardian: Artist known for sculptures of Mao Zedong jailed for slandering ‘heroes and martyrs’
Reuters: Chinese dissident artist jailed for 3 years over Mao sculptures, family and rights group say
