G7: YOU CAN COUNT ON US [SOLD]

 

G7: You Can Count On Us, acrylic on canvas, 2021. 60" X 36"

Production period: 23 June - 29 July 2021

INTRODUCTION

This painting is loosely based on a satirical cartoon made by Chinese government-appointed propaganda cartoonist cartoonist Bantonglaoatang entitled "The Last G7", which is based on Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper". The original cartoon's intention is to mock the organization's "malicious" attempt to rally its allies and lay a siege on China's global status, and it went viral on Chinese social media during the 47th annual Group of 7 (G7) summit which was held in June 2021 in Cornwall, UK.

 

Because the countries were represented by animals in the cartoon, the artist is inspired to jump in and apply his talent to paint a slightly changed version of the cartoon. 

SYMBOLISM FROM THE ORIGINAL

The countries are represented by the following animals (left to right):

⦁ Germany = Black hawk-eagle (changed to a black eagle)

⦁ Australia = Kangaroo

⦁ Japan = Akita dog

⦁ Italy = Wolf

⦁ USA = Bald eagle

⦁ UK = Lion

⦁ Canada = Beaver (misidentified as a coypu)

⦁ France = Rooster

⦁ India = Elephant

Based on the original cartoon, the animals are seen posed in various gestures which imply that each country in the G7 had its own agenda in the common conspiracy to suppress China's sphere of influence and uphold the West's global hegemony. The animals gather around a cake shaped like the map of China, which is a reference to a caricature based on the plans to divide the country among several foreign powers after their victory in the Boxer Rebellion in 1901.

The bald eagle in the center, representing the United States of America, wears a bowler hat with an American flag on it like another American personification symbol, Uncle Sam. The American eagle sat in the middle of the table as the convener of the event. In front of the bald eagle is a banknote printing machine which prints toilet paper into American dollars, which may represent the sales of toilet paper during the ongoing health crisis: the global coronavirus outbreak that began in early 2020. The eagle holds a bill on its left hand which showed an increasing number from $2 trillion to $8 trillion. Under the table at the American eagle's side is an iron hook and there are two pieces of blood-stained cotton balls on the table in front of it. Both represented the USA's perceived use of forced labor and racial oppression in its economy, especially its early treatment towards African-Americans and possibly Asian-Americans. The American eagle's depiction in the cartoon symbolizes the current situation in the country, which is plagued by an increasing debt and various racial conflicts (including the recent murder of African-American George Floyd by a police officer in May 2020), as well as its ongoing conflict with China.

On the right of the American eagle sits one of its closest allies, the United Kingdom, which is represented by a lion. The lion has been the symbol of royalty in Europe, especially in the UK. The lion's shirt shows a divided map of the United Kingdom, which may have symbolized Brexit (the UK's exit from the European Union) or Scotland's attempts to break free from the UK, the last attempt being made in 2014. The lion wears an English cap emblazoned with the Union Jack.

Sitting next to the lion is a beaver that symbolizes Canada. The beaver is the national animal of Canada, and the one in the picture was misidentified in accompanying articles as a coypu, a smaller aquatic rodent which originally lived in Central and South America and known for its incisors which are colored red or yellow. Canada's beaver in the picture is shown wearing a red coat with images of cannabis leaves on it, representing the Canadian government's legalization of marijuana as a recreational drug in 2018, making it the first G7 nation to do so. The beaver also holds a doll on its hand, which is believed to represent Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Chinese tech company Huawei's founder and chairman Ren Zhengfei, who was arrested and detained in Canada in March 2021 for fraud charges in order to circumvent the USA's sanctions against Iran. Meng Wanzhou was eventually released from custody in September 2021.

The rooster sitting next to Canada's beaver represents France, where the rooster is made a national symbol. The rooster sits in silence on the right side of the table, and seems more interested in its domestic and European issues and less enthusiastic on the USA's policies. The rooster wears a Napoleon-era bicorne hat and is seen writing "Vive le France" (French for "long live France") with a quill.

On the left of the American eagle is a grey wolf that represents Italy, as it is its national animal. The wolf is regarded as a symbol of Italy since the Roman era, as a wolf played an important role in the founding of the Roman state. According to the legend, the twins Romulus and Remus (the former being regarded as the eventual founder of Rome) were raised by a female wolf. The wolf in the picture wears a cap with an Italian flag on it. The wolf appears to be waving its hands, showing its reluctance against the American eagle's suggestions on allying with the USA in their conflict against China, as Italy was the first European country to join China's massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government which invested in nearly 70 countries.

Next to the wolf is Japan, the sole Asian nation from the G7 group, represented by a Shinto hat-wearing Akita dog, which is best known in the country for being the breed represented by its most famous dog, Hachiko. The dog is shown standing instead of sitting, and is busy serving drinks to the other animals. The "drink" that the dog is pouring into the glasses is actually radioactive water, which symbolizes Japan's rumored plan to release radioactive water from the aftermath of the destruction of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant in 2011 into the Pacific Ocean. As seen in the picture, only some animals have the radioactive "drink" in their glasses because the countries they represent border the Pacific Ocean, while some others like UK's lion and France's rooster also had the green "drink", which represents their ongoing nuclear energy generation.

Sitting next to the dog is a kangaroo which represents Australia. It stretches its left hand to the American dollars which were being printed by the printing machine, while its other hand holds a money bag. The kangaroo wears a cowboy hat with an Australian flag on it. The kangaroo's gestures in the picture are said to represent its double standard in its economic cooperation policies: it actively cooperates with the USA and also earns money from China, its largest trading partner. 

On the furthest left side of the table is a black eagle which represents Germany. It was posed similarly to German Chancellor Angela Merkel from a viral photo of her during the 2018 G7 Summit which was held in Quebec, Canada. Like the French rooster on the other side of the table, the German eagle seems interested only in its own domestic issues, as well as issues within the European Union.

On the right corner of the table sits an elephant which represents India. The elephant is portrayed in a weak state, including being on a drip like a hospital patient, and begging for financial aid. The elephant's pathetic well-being symbolizes India's current situation: increasing national debt and poverty as well as health and environmental issues which ran rampant in the country. The drip bags near the elephant contained water from the heavily-polluted Ganges river and cow urine. Behind the elephant is a large dumpster which is overflowing with garbage, representing India's waste management problem. 

Under the table, a frog representing Taiwan is seen holding banknotes on its hands while trying desperately to reach the table and give the banknotes to the American eagle, while standing on one foot on a small tortoise. According to Chinese netizens, the frog's attempt mirrors Taiwan's subservience and willingness to follow the policies of the USA. A cockroach can be seen on the floor beside the tortoise, as well as a basin also containing a frog. These other animals may represent other third-world countries according to netizens.

Several oxygen tanks can be seen behind some animals, symbolizing the group's attempts to contain the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease 2019) is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS CoV-2 coronavirus which attacks the lungs, and a steady supply of oxygen is needed to prolong the survival of COVID-19 patients while they are being treated. A case full of coronavirus vaccines is seen on the table in front of the German eagle, symbolizing the plans for distribution of coronavirus vaccines. A drip bag with the Chinese flag on it may represent coronavirus vaccines made by China, including SinoVac's CoronaVac vaccine.

CHANGES FROM THE ORIGINAL

A major deviation in the painting from the original cartoon is the animals are being portrayed as real animals, with humanized limbs being replaced by the animals' own. The background originally had the Elizabeth Tower (AKA Big Ben) before it was changed to the Tower Bridge in London, another iconic building in the city. The engravings on the wood panels on the wall are changed to a medieval-styled tree design, with their leaves painted in silver. The silver leaves are said to resemble glowing butterflies, which to the artist represents the G7 organization's hopes to resolve global and internal conflicts.

The black eagle representing Germany in the original cartoon seems to be based on a black hawk-eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus), which was not found in Germany but in Mexico and Central America. The artist changed it to a black eagle which looks closer to the one on the national emblem of Germany. Noticing that every animal wears outfits and hats which highlight the country they symbolize (except the German eagle in the original cartoon), the artist has the changed eagle wear a traditional German hat with feathers in the color of the German national flag, and the hat is triangular, matching the crest of the original's black hawk-eagle. Similarly, the turban worn by India's elephant is colored in the colors of India's flag in the painting. The frog representing Taiwan at the bottom of the table is changed to a strawberry poison-dart frog (Oophaga pumilio) because its colors are similar to the colors on Taiwan's flag: red and blue. The frog in the basin on the left side of the floor under the table is changed to a breeding marine toad with tadpoles, which according to the artist represents the marine toad, originally from Central America, being an invasive species in Australia which poses a potential threat to its local wildlife.

Originally, a case full of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines is seen on the table in front of the German eagle. It was changed by the artist to a case containing vials of various coronavirus vaccine brands. The vaccines are (from left to right) the Gamaleya Sputnik vaccine, the Pfizer-BionTech vaccine, SinoVac's CoronaVac vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine and the Johnson's vaccine. Additionally, a pair of dice in front of the American eagle symbolizes the USA's economic gambles, including engaging in a trade war with China during former American president Donald Trump's administration.

The text on the wall is changed to Latin, which is common in Renaissance-era buildings. The text is a translation of the original text into Latin:

NOS DEDUCERE ORDNIS PACE

= We bring peace and order

ET DEMOCRATIA LIBERTATEM HABEMUS

= We have freedom and democracy

PER HAEC POSSUMUS ETIAM RECTORES ORBIS TERRARUM

= This means that we can rule the world

Major reference: 

Global Times (2021) ‘The Last G7’: Satirical cartoon mocking bloc’s attempt to suppress China goes viral, 13 June 2021 [Online] Available at: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226050.shtml (Accessed: 18 June 2021).