Qi Zhilong attended the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing from 1987-1991 and then moved to the artists' village of Yuanmingyuan on the grounds of the old Summer Palace on the northwestern edge of the capital. There, a group of artists had come together to explore the increasingly popular currents of Political Pop and Cynical Realism.

Zhilong gained notoriety for his "Political Pop" paintings, most of which depicted Chinese women during the Cultural Revolution. In the mid-1990s, the East Asian artist first came to the attention of international platforms. With the onset of economic policies and the reform era in China, the artist developed an increasing critique of consumption, which he incorporated into his ®Consumer Icon...