Communism and Consumerism

Communism and Consumerism This series is part of a bigger project about China. I want to confront the changes taking place lately in Chinese society. The old values from communism against the new ones taken from western countries with a capitalist economy. I have photographed some of the most iconic places for communism. At the Great Hall of the People where the Communist Party holds its meetings, the cars parked outside are not from China but luxury cars from Germany. Another example of the changes is the Louis Vuitton exhibition at the National Museum of China. The museum is the house of one of the best collections of Chinese art history. Many voices were raised against the commercialism of the museum. The Bund with the Chairman Mao's sculpture overlooking the new skyline of Pudong. Coca Cola, one of the most iconic symbols of American culture, selling its products at the heart of the new communist economy. Apple, though American, is ensemble in China. The same workers at the Apple factories can not afford to buy an i-phone, if they do, they have to save for several months because of the low wages they are paid. The art scene is taking symbols from the West too. We can see the Michael Jackson sculpture at the 798 Art District in Beijing. Disco-bars visited by young people are not different from the ones in the West. While the Communist Party uses its power to control information coming from outside -such as internet- it can not stop its citizens from the appropriation of cultural values of the West.