Tattoo II

In Qiu Zhijie’s Tatoo II, the “PU”—the injunction of “No, you must not!”—is projected onto the artist’s body as the ultimate prohibition.

It refers both to traditional Chinese society, in which individualism had no place, and to contemporary society, where censorship and self-censorship have become one of the driving forces of liberalism.

The artist’s closed mouth, covered by a broad strip of paint, denounces the reality faced by a generation of artists seeking recognition for their work within a China that, at the time, still showed little interest in these new creators.

This work by Qiu Zhijie, considered one of the most important photographers of his generation, has today become an essential work.

A true icon, it symbolizes the economic, social, and political changes currently taking place across the world, and particularly in their intensified form in China.