The Successor

The Successor Digital collage, 2025 – Honys Torres

The Successor stages a face-off between two global market giants: Mao as the symbol of the Chinese model, and Ronald McDonald as the emblem of American capitalism. The artwork portrays a fierce competition between two systems that, far from being opposites, intertwine in a war of consumption, imitation, and legal evasion.

China—ironically represented by a crowned Mao surrounded by pop symbols—has mastered the art of replication: cloned brands, near-identical products, and a commercial strategy that exploits international legal loopholes. Platforms like Temu and Shein have grown exponentially by leveraging the U.S. “de minimis loophole,” a policy that allows imports under $800 to enter tax-free and without inspection.

• In 2024, Temu and Shein shipped over 1 million packages daily to the U.S.

• After partial closure of the loophole in 2025, Temu lost 52% of its daily active users in the U.S. within two months

• This policy, introduced in 2016, supercharged Chinese exports, reshaping the commercial relationship between the two countries

The artwork features winged dollar bills, diamonds, emojis, and a CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS tape as witnesses to legalized plunder. The panda with a handbag and the “MADE IN CHINA” stamped on Ronald McDonald denounce the paradox: the successor of communism is now the king of global e-commerce.

The Successor doesn’t celebrate China’s rise—it interrogates it. Who wins when everything can be copied? What remains of the original in a world of tax-free replicas?

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https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Digital-El-sucesor/1368215/13472911/view