Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1994

Robert Walker’s collage Nice n’ Easy juxtaposes 1970s advertising imagery with a poster from China’s cultural revolution, so bring into sharp relief the propagandistic strategies of two opposing ideologies. The seductive ploys of Western consumerism are pitted against the strident claims of Chinese communism, with unexpected results – the stereotypically ‘passive’ oriental woman stares fiercely into the future, while her pampered  occidental counterpart looks demurely downward, her face veiled by luxuriant hair.

William A. Ewing