Ink brush, white gouache, 

40.9 x 30.7 inches. Private collection

The "Big Brother" who rules Oceania sells a miserable life to his subjects as the pinnacle of human evolution. Every day you wake up again in the best Oceania ever. Everywhere are emblazoned the advertising messages for the state and warnings of internal and external enemies, while actual supply bottlenecks, gaps in supply, hardship, hunger and lack of freedom give the lie to the propaganda. 

Even the older inhabitants of Oceania can hardly remember that their lives were ever different - and not only censorship, but also the destruction of documents from the past and constant rewriting of history contribute their part. The Oceania "victory cigarettes" are so inferior that the tobacco already trickles out as soon as they are tilted a little.