From Contemporary Art to Pop Icon - insight, reflection, leadership

At the 58th Venice International Art Biennial 2019, Ma Cong's 《All/Pig is well》 provided a fitting response to the biennial's theme of "May You Live in Interesting Times" with a humorous and critical black humor.

The artist believes that these commonplace expressions are, in fact, probes into "uncertainty," questioning of "conventions," helplessness towards "established facts," ironic commentary on dominance, and counter-critique of absurd criticism.

Today, with the unprecedented means of communication and social media, it has become easier, faster, and cheaper to obtain information and express opinions. However, the proliferation of social media platforms has a flip side. In this era, insight, reflection, and criticism should not be limited to the niche revelry of pioneering art. Instead, they should be directed towards a new generation that masters the power of discourse in social media. In this context, we should not only focus on vanguard art but also move towards the new generation

of social media discourse. We should direct the public's attention to the social issues behind the proliferation of social media, explore ways of connecting art and life, and portray the high-gloss icons of mediocre life.