Image-Nation: works by a new generation of Chinese artists:
Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai
For Immediate Release
IMAGE-NATION: works by a new generation of Chinese artists
Featuring works by: Chao Ziyi & Chao Ziwei, Chen Yun, Chen Yunquan, Guo Peng, He Jia, He Jiandan, Jiao Xingtao, Liang Binbin, Liu Danhua, Liu Lifen, Ren Zhe, Wang Mian, Wang Zi, Xia Hang, Xue Tao, Yang Bo, Yin Yanhua, Zhang Hua, Zhao Guanghui
Image-Nation: works by a new generation of Chinese artists is an exhibition which reflects the interests of a younger group of artists who no longer take as their subject the political content which widely characterises the western view of the work of their predecessors of the 1980s and early 90s. Political art produced today has at times recently become a parody of itself and no longer holds the significance or impact that work from the 80s and early 90s did. Collectors are becoming more discerning and are less easily swayed by images of pandas, Mao or the colour red; and seasoned auction goers are becoming more selective when it comes to political art post-1997. The artists in the present exhibition were too young to feel directly the impact of Tiananmen Square, and are rather affected by the new commercial and cultural openness, the rapid urbanisation and transformation of the cities, the incessant bombardment of consumer culture and the influence of mass media. The present exhibition takes as its starting point three different categories of cars, cartoons, and daily life. Through each of these subjects artists give an independent insight into life in China today.
The aim of the exhibition is to show that although the main collecting base for young Chinese artists for the short term remains in the west, that artists are no longer merely pandering (no pun intended) to a Western preconception of China or cynically producing ‘political pop’ for the export market (although this clearly persists). There are artists who are exploring their own cultural identity, engaging with popular culture, reflecting the contemporary experience of daily life in China, and concerning themselves with issues and influences that directly affect them - an engagement which brings about an art with an independence of outlook and one which will in time bring them a domestic as well as international audience.
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