ZHONG CHENG

Ron English is an American contemporary artist, most renowned for his exploration of brand imageries and advertisement. In the 80s, he was coined the most influential POP artist after the deceased Andy Warhol. His transformation of high and low cultural touchstones, from superhero, mythology to totems of art history became his signature style. In the 90s, he became known for altering billboards by changing key words to radically alter the messages, they are usually anti-corporate messages, targeting Mickey Mouse, Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe and more; thus Ron English is also one of the most controversial artist today. In 2008, during the election period, he combined the facial features of Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln and titled the piece “Abraham Obama,” the work became the center of discussions. In 2009, Ron English began to collaborate with Toy Company in Hong Kong, where his original character - an evil skeleton called Charlie Grin became three-dimensional. He later published many more limited edition toys and became a sensation in the toy collector’s world.