Untitled #27 (Unknown Rebel)
- Untitled #27 (Unknown Rebel)
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On June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government began a violent crackdown on student-led demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, a lone protester stood in the middle of a wide avenue, halting a column of tanks. Footage of the incident spread rapidly around the world and became an iconic representation of the power and risks of individual nonviolent action in the face of overwhelming force. Josh Azzarella digitally altered the famous film to remove the tanks, mirroring the deliberate misrepresentation of history by the Chinese government, which refused to acknowledge the events surrounding Tiananmen Square.
ProvenanceThe artist; [Mark Moore Gallery, Culver City, California, 2011]; purchased by MFAH, 2013.
Exhibition History"Josh Azzarella," Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago, October 17–December 3, 2008.
"Josh Azzarella: Works 2004 – 2011," Mark Moore Gallery, Culver City, April 9–May 14, 2011.
Published References Abraham Ritchie. “Josh Azzarella and the 20th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square,” ArtSlant Chicago. June 4, 2009. Alan G. Artner, “Altered photos, videos take on haunting life,” The Chicago Tribune, October 31, 2008. Marielos Zeka, Statements 21: Josh Azzarella, exhibition catalogue (Los Angeles: Mark Moore Gallery, 2013), Untitled #27 (Unknown Rebel) reproduced on page 17. Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Recto of Display DVD, printed: Josh Azzarella/ Untitled #27 ( Unknown Rebel) / Display Disc
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