Even navigating the busy streets of LA this past weekend in the pouring rain didn't stop anyone from noticing the giant sculpture that sprang up (over night!) on La Brea and 4th.

Brothers Gao Zhen and Gao Qiang have brought their impressive, chrome finished bust of Lenin's head (with a small figure of Mao on top performing a balancing act) to get a conversation going in LA. The Gao brothers have practically created a brand of using prominent historical figures to spotlight what is taboo in Chinese society.

Even with China celebrating it's 60th anniversary since the Communist Revolution, there are still drastic limits on artistic expression. Take for example the imprisonment of Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei earlier this year. Accused of “inciting subversion of state power,” a catch-all term used to jail anyone critical of the Communist Party rule, he has been detained and imprisoned now for a second time.

The Gao Brother's sculpture titled "Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin’s Head,"
pushes the boundaries of artistic expression. Using the image of Russian dictator Vladimir Lenin and then fragmenting the pieces which make up his person, the Gao brothers are commenting on his broken legacy which brought so much chaos and distress to Russia.

Although often criticized for being far from subtle, the Gao brother's works manage to "move the conversation forward". A concept that Larry Gagosian, and other high-profile collectors and art people alike, recognize as the telling factor in determining whether an artist will have an impact on the artistic landscape of tomorrow. By connecting the past with the present in their work, the Gao brothers seem to be making a name for themselves in tomorrow's pages of art history.