The Limits of Creativity

Adrian Lo
Intro to Contemporary Art

The Limits of Creativity
The Chinese contemporary art industry has been in full bloom for
the past two decades. It attracts avid collectors and galleries to buy
works on art in bulk just to ride the wave of price inflation. But do
these collectors and galleries really fully appreciate and understand
the content and concept of every piece they buy? There is plenty of
reason to believe that the Chinese contemporary art industry has been
largely driven by its price speculation and inflation. Firstly, the
art market is seemingly dominated and dictated by galleries and
collectors and sometimes art syndicates. They determine the prices at
which pieces are sold and also the ones who create the huge price
inflations. They are also hugely influential in determining what
constitutes as good art; they have the ability to turn an artist into
a millionaire overnight. Secondly, artists are now beginning to create
pieces of art to fit the market instead of the market adapting to the
art. Many artists are concerned about whether their pieces will sell
and therefore follow the trend instead create their own. I believe
these actions betray the basic principles of contemporary art. It is
no longer avant-garde, no longer controversial nor stimulating. The
market completely dictates the flow of creativity. Third and lastly,
the market is now putting a lot of pressure on artists' creative
integrity. Many artists are forced to adapt their concept to the
markets wants just so they can provide for themselves and their
families. All signs point towards the eventual commercialization of
the art industry and the demise of creativity. Maybe saying the demise
of creativity is a little dramatic, but what will become of the
artists who do not conform? What will happen to artists who stay true
to their creative integrity?
What is art? Art is a word with a very loose definition. Who is
qualified to give a definite answer? Who is qualified to decide what
is art and what isn't? In China, the galleries, collectors and
syndicates have a monopoly on the decision making process. They have
been present since the beginning of the Chinese contemporary art
scene. They facilitated with the industry's development and were
instrumental in bringing many Chinese artists and the Chinese art
scene to fame, but the industry's dependence on the galleries and
collectors have become inseparable. All aspects of the industry have
become subservient to galleries and collectors to the point where they
have the power to determine how successful an artist will be or how
much a piece of artwork will sell.
Baron Guy Ullens is a retired businessman from Belgium. He has
been an art collector for the part 40 years. During the 1980s, Ullens
started working in Beijing and Hong Kong. In an interview, he explains
that he met a group of artists who had just graduated from the CAFA in
Beijing and started living with them. He describes that time as
"immense fun". He gained interest in contemporary Chinese art and
little did he know, he would later assemble one of the greatest
collections of Chinese contemporary art. In April 2011, the Ullens
collection was put on display and auction. A collection of 105 pieces
was auctioned and fetched a number of record dealings. Now famous
artists such as Zhang Xiaogang, Wang Guangyi, Zeng Peili, Ding Yi, Yu
Youhan all had pieces in the auction. All of these artists sold for
personal record prices. Zheng Peili's X? series was estimated to sell
for $1.5-2.5 million Hong Kong Dollars, but sold for $23 millions HKD,
1000% beyond the expected price ($1USD = $7.8HKD). Wang Guangyi's Mao
Zedong was estimated to sell for $1.5-2 million HKD, but sold for $19
million HKD. Ding Yi's appearance of crosses estimated at
$600,000-700,000 HKD, but sold for $17 million HKD. Yu Youhan's 1985
was estimated at $400,000-500,000 HKD, but sold for $14 million HKD.
Last and mostly, Zhang Xiaogang's Forever Lasting Love, one of his
earlier works from 1988, was estimated at $25-30 million HKD, but sold
for an auction record $79 million HKD. All the sales that were
mentioned were either the artists' personal records at an auction or
in Zhang Xiaogang's case a world record auction price. The auction was
done by Sotheby's, one of the largest and most successful auction
houses in the world. Although the auction racked in record prices, not
a cent of it went to the artists. All the proceeds went to the Ullens
family and partly to Sotheby's through commission. Does that not mean
the market drives the art industry? Shouldn't the artists have more
say and control over where their work is sold and to whom? And most
importantly, shouldn't the artist benefit from the sales of their own
work? In today's society? Definitely not. Guy Ullens bought all these
pieces of artwork when the artists were largely unknown. He can
certainly be lauded for his great vision and keen eye, but as a
collector, the publicity that came with his collection created a
spectacle for the whole art world.
Art galleries have the capacity to be incredibly influential but it is
a seemingly "hit or miss" business. Famous galleries like the
Gagosian grow to the point where it becomes a sort of agency for
artist, where artists who can say they have had a collection at the
Gagosian can immediately demand a higher price. Larry Gagosian founded
the Gagosian Gallery in 1979. It was originally founded in Los Angeles
but has since moved to New York. They have now expanded to all corners
of the globe, to places such as Hong Kong, London, Rome, Athens, Paris
and Geneva. They specialize in collecting western modern art.
World-renowned artists such as Damien Hirst, Cy Twombly, Willem De
Kooning, or Jeff Koons all have had their work carried by the
Gagosian. With thirty short years of history, the Gagosian has become
a brand name and status symbol of sorts. One of Damien Hirst's most
famous pieces of work called "For the Love of God", which is a
platinum human skull encrusted with 8600 flawless diamonds, was taken
around the world by the Gagosian and exhibited in all their different
locations. This particular piece is priced at an estimate 50 million
pounds; if sold, it would be the most expensive piece of art in
history! And it costs Hirst 14 million pounds just to produce it. What
was so special about this skull? Surely 1100 carats worth of diamond
can make anything special. This piece was different from all his other
pieces such as his "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of
Someone Living" series where he would place dead animals in
formaldehyde and seal it in a tank, most famously using a 14ft tiger
shark. The skull did not challenge the boundaries of art; but it was
merely a marketing scheme, where Hirst was challenging to boundaries
of his own brand. Of course, some can argue that Hirst was able to
materialize commercialism and luxury and attempt to sell it but could
an unknown artist produce the same work with the same concept, demand
the same price and still call it art? Definitely not. It seems as
though art has become an extension of the luxury market, where the
name is more important than the product.
Capitalism can be called a curse or a blessing. Sure it made
people a lot of money, but it also it bred a society of greed and
materialism. This has even affected the art industry, especially in
China. An advantage/disadvantage of a market economy is the presence
of speculation. In terms of art, buyers are buying art with the hope
that prices will skyrocket. However, art is not like an equity stock,
its value does not appreciate based on its daily performance or the
country's economy, it only appreciates when masses of people
appreciate its value and concept, or in modern times, when the
galleries say so. When an artist becomes famous, the value of their
work appreciates exponentially. The values of these works will easily
jump by 1000% and this applies to ALL works by the artist and not only
the one that brought the artist to fame. Why do the prices inflate so
much? The answer is the auction houses and syndicates push the prices
up. Auction houses like Sotheby's have enough influence to push an
artist into the limelight, and once the artist gains enough fame, all
of the artist's works will fetch insane prices, especially at an
auction. Syndicates, however, are a whole other kind of evil. What are
syndicates? Syndicates are groups of people who buy into a work art;
they buy shares of the piece to minimize risk, and buy shares when
they cannot afford the full price individually. A syndicate operates
purely on speculation and on the purpose of resale. It is a business
transaction and has nothing to do with appreciation and understand of
art.
In case the examples listed previously were not enough to prove
the art industry is purely driven by the market, here's more. Becoming
an artist has now become a full time job. Artists do what they do, not
only because they have creativity bursting at the seams but also
because they have something explicit and profound to express. These
opinions do not always resonate with all viewers but what matters is
that these artists can go on doing what they love and believe in. This
is called creative integrity. It is when whatever's on the canvas,
installation, movie, sculpture or through other mediums resonates with
the artist's own beliefs. In a world fueled by competition and
ambition, what happens when an artist fails to make money doing what
he or she loves and believes in? The artist is then forced to comprise
their creative integrity and produce works that are more tailored to
public eye. Many artist do this to sell better, they do it to keep
food on the table. It is done out of necessity. This can also be seen
in already famous artist. Many famous artists find a moneymaking
template and reproduce it over and over again. For example, Zhang
Xiaogang and his Bloodline series, Yue Minjun and his smiley face
series, Dingyi and his cross pattern series, Wang Guangyi and his
propaganda and Mao Zedong series, these are all hugely successful
artist who have replicated the same concept in different variations.
They do this to cater to the public just so sales can remain high.
It's impossible to say that all artists do this. Artist like Ai Weiwei
or Zhang Huan are also hugely successful but keep their creative
integrity intact. However, in a hugely materialistic world, some
artists do not have a choice. They have to suppress their creativity
and follow the money trail just to stay afloat.
In conclusion, people are driven by greed, and more primitively,
driven by survival. People, including artists do whatever makes them
happy and unfortunately, money seems to be the common denominator.
What does this mean for the art industry? Does it mean people should
stop buying art? Definitely not. Art is still a rare form truth. It is
a tangible form of a person's mind and thoughts and in that respect;
art is still a hugely invaluable and mystical thing. The boundaries of
art are virtually limitless and non-existent. It goes as far as the
human imagination takes it, it is beauty and truth at its purest form
only when paired with belief and understanding. That is true art. That
is priceless.

The Relationships in the Shanghai Art Scene

Bo Hershey May 30, 2011

The Relationships in the Shanghai Art Scene

The contemporary art scene in China has grown in the last thirty
years. Since the end of the Cultural Revolution, the art has seen a
sort of modern day renaissance. Artists are more creative and seek
that new form that will make them money. This modern day movement
elevated the level of art in China. Art in China in today's world is
very much about money. When looking at Shanghai, one finds that the
relationships in the city are important to the life of the art scene.
Artists are the creative force behind the art scene. This group is
what draws people to a particular scene. Basically, this group creates
something out of nothing. To achieve recognition artists need to go
through other channels to sell their works. Auction houses and
curators are part of the cultural elite in the Chinese art scene.
Their expertise gives followers an understanding of where the art
scene is and where it might go. Also this group gives artists and
collectors the opportunity to have greater exposure to the art scene.
Essentially, Shanghai's galleries are the middle men in the art scene.
Both artists and collectors need them to achieve access to the art
market. Finally, the art scene in Shanghai is very capitalist where
people want to buy works at cheap price then sell them for a profit.
In recent years the art scene in China has been hot. Collectors are
what fuel interest and speculation in the Shanghai Art scene. This
group has a diverse array of capital to buy all kinds of artistic
works. The relationships between the different groups in Shanghai and
China are what have driven growth in the art scene in recent years.

The first stage of the Shanghai art scene is the artists. These
people are the creative force of the art scene. Art in Shanghai is
very unique. The works are very active and in your face. They make you
think about the deeper aspects. One gets the sense that this emerged
from educational backgrounds of the artists. Many of the early
avant-garde artists read philosophy and looked to foreign artists for
inspiration. Some artists have even lived abroad like Ai Weiwei. This
generation of artists has been extremely influenced by the opening up
of China. It has allowed them to see the world outside of communist
China. Today many of the more established artists are being
criticized for creating works just to meet the demand of the market.1
The older artists are now worth a lot more. This in turn has made them
more profit oriented. In the end, people are only buying the work
because the artists name is attached. The same creativity that made
the artist sometimes is not seen.

For an art scene to be successful it needs artists who are
innovative. These artists must create works that excite collectors
while also provide buyer with a sense of value. The art scene in China
is unique because it is new and different. Many Chinese artists are
now in demand because their works edgy and are a break from the
traditional. The amazing thing about the market is that prices for
some artists just out of college can go for tens of thousands of
dollars. Only people with lots of money take part in such buys outs.
At M50, I visited the gallery, Outstanding Art. The artist displayed
at the time was Ye Sheng Qin, a young Shanghaieese woman. Her
originals started at $10,000 went to as high as $20000. Her paintings
have both a classical and contemporary tone that draws the viewer into
the canvass. Each painting has a female figure in traditional
garments. The director of the gallery Elizabeth Wu said that Ye Sheng
Qin is one of the hot artists on the Shanghai art scene. Many people
are buying her works right so not to fall behind. The price is very
expensive for the average Chinese person. Spending over $10,000 to
some in China is not a good investment. This shows that young artists
need to build a following with those who are rich. Once people start
buying works the price steadily goes up for the artist. This
capitalist system in many ways makes provides artists with the
resources to be better. With more money artists are able to afford
more amentias in which ever city they are based out of. Basically,
popularity is what gives art value. This is much like supply and
demand in business.

What will the art scene be like ten years from now? We all know
that Shanghai will be a lot different but the same could be said of
the art scene in the city. That is what draws people to the city. The
fact that Shanghai is constantly changing means that artists can take
part in the change. New artists like new buildings are emerging in
Shanghai every year. In addition, being a young artist in Shanghai is
a big plus in an art scene that has yet to identify itself with one
particular mode of style. For example, when artists are young they are
still developing their own style and technique. Younger artist usually
experiment more with their subjects. This is clearly seen in the works
of Guan Chun. Having one of her earlier works is a good investment.
Just buying anything though that is based on her designs is a form of
collecting. Today her works influence everything from illustrations to
toy designs.2 Her works a 3D quality that is edgy. This is clearly
seen in the speakers she helped designed that provide the owner with a
visual display of her style. When looking at her works one can tell
that their audience is primarily aimed for a younger crowd. As an
illustration, her works are very cartoony and have crazy designs that
can been seen in many anime shows. This kind of energy is what makes
contemporary art market so fascinating. The artists who are helping it
develop the art scene are in the early stages of their own careers. As
a result, buying their earliest works can be great investment for the
future. When a collector buys a work they hope that the value of the
artist will increase overtime. In the end, artists need to create
products that their audience will enjoy.

Creating artwork just like judging it is very personal
experience. The artists that now grace the Shanghai art scene are
known for revolutionary attitudes and ability to hide it in their
works. Guan Chun's works have been very hard to censor because her
designs hide the social and political commentary. Artists today are
pretty much savvy enough to know how to stay under the government
radar but still create a product that is an eye opener for viewers.
For the longest time people associated Chinese art with the propaganda
posters of the Cultural Revolution. These works were very controlled
and did not show any characteristics of personal creativity. Today,
Shanghai is filled with all kinds of artist. Some are aspiring; others
are struggling while the lucky ones have enjoyed the success that has
been changing life in China.

Why are cities like Shanghai and Beijing leading the art
movement in China? The major cities of China are sources of financial
capital. Moving to cities gives artists the chance to make their
artistic brand better. More importantly, major cities give artists
access to wider audience that would be unavailable in other places in
China. The people who visit and live Shanghai come from all over the
world. When interviewing Martin Kemble of the Art Labor Gallery he
said that "Well, expats or locally based foreigners are clearly
playing a major role in the art scene, many of the galleries are run
by or owned by foreigners, and the Chinese art scene people aren't
that thrilled by that fact I think. Even the major art fair is run and
curated by a team of foreigners, which to me is amazing. But the point
is to sell art and the local buyers are still at the point where they
are looking to others to see what to buy." Shanghai's ex-pat
population it seems is still beneficial to galleries who need vast
spectrum of buyers to survive in the competitive art market. Still the
best galleries in Shanghai are those that exhibit the most creative
works and provide buyers with art pieces that are of good financial
value. Even though, foreigners are the owners of most the galleries
and buy a majority of the art, the art displayed is a product of
Chinese artists. That is one category that foreigners will never
dominate in Shanghai or China.

Galleries are important institutions in an art scene because
they provide artists with a place to exhibit and sell their works.
Without galleries it would be hard for an artist to show off their
works. Those who manage galleries are just as important to the art
scene as the artists. Working in China like any job is a lot
different. Martin Kemble of Art Labor said that "It is not that
controlled, though there are certain topics that are obviously off
limits. One goes about setting things up the same way as anywhere,
though you would have to censor from a curatorial point of view. Also
it takes more paperwork to get licenses. Artists enjoy all the freedom
they want to make art that the government doesn't mind them making.
Obviously we aren't living in 1968 anymore, but there is still the
bureaucracy that existed and exists again it seems."Still even under
the occasional circumstance of censorship having a good reputation is
important. Curators are representatives of the artists work by
creating connections with interested buyers and creating exhibitions
that give artist to show off their skills.

Even with all the money being made in the Shanghai art scene
it's still very small. In an interview with Martin Kemble of Art Labor
said "There are no major collectors though and if they are do come to
town they go to SHanghart and Contrasts and that is about it. We are
though, attracting more and more of the big hitters." The smaller
galleries in Shanghai it seems are starting to have a larger role.
This can be clearly seen when vesting M50. ShanghARt no longer has the
monopoly on art. Artists can find a variety of people to curate their
works and buyers can find different sections of Shanghai to find works
of art that satisfy their personal tastes.

Art Galleries are not the only source for Chinese artwork. Auction
houses in recent years have become places for collectors to acquire
the best contemporary pieces. In 2004, Sotheby's opened an auction
house in Hong Kong that was devoted to the Chinese contemporary art
scene. This form of an art market has helped increase the popularity
in the contemporary art scene. These kinds of auction houses do not
exhibit the works like galleries. Instead they provide collectors with
a place to purchase and sell Chinese contemporary works. For a
collector going to an auction house is a quick way to sell their art
investment. For an artist's going to an auction houses doesn't provide
the opportunity to show works off for long periods of time. This is
more in the case of younger artists who are still trying to creating
brand.

Once an artist has become established in an art scene going to
an auction house can sometimes bring more financial rewards. In
auction, the price is valued at a starting price. Anyone can bid on a
work. This in turn increases the value of the work. If an artist's
work become popular at an auction that usually means their other art
works will be of similar value. What this shows is that artists brand
is what drives prices in the Chinese contemporary art market. With
auction houses all over the world, Chinese artist's artworks are
reaching a wider audience of collectors. These institutions it seems
are where million dollar piece are being bought and sold. They give
wealthier collectors the opportunity to develop fortunes in the art
market. The auction market has allowed collectors who bought
particular artist early in their career to sell the work for millions.
It has also allowed collectors to make a quick profit of artwork.
Basically, auction houses are like stock markets, people come there to
find bargains and then make money from it.

Shanghai is a city that runs on money. This is a new phenomenon
but one that is having an increasing role in how things get done in
the city. Collectors who buy give life to the art scene. They allow
artists to pursue art to the next level. For the collector they hope
that a work bought will be worth more in the future. Art is like any
investment, people want to buy low and sell high. Brian Wallace of Red
Gate Gallery in Beijing said "Buying contemporary Chinese art could be
about pure appreciation, but it's also very much about making money."3
What this shows is that collectors who are in the know are pursuing
are for purely financial gain. A lot of collectors are now trying to
enter the Chinese contemporary art market to make a quick profit. From
this one gets the sense that the art scene in China is a product of
speculation. The prices of some of the more established artists like
Wang Guangyi works started in the thousands and have now reached into
the millions. This kind of monetary transition shows that buying works
in China can be beneficial to a collector.

In conclusion, the contemporary art market is interconnected by
multiple institutions. Each one institution has an important role that
keeps the market going. The artist provides the market with
creativity. They essentially create something from nothing. To achieve
recognition and financial compensation artists need to go to curators
or auction houses. These institutions marketing force behind the
artists works. They give potential buyers access to works that they
normally would never see. Though many artists produce art for love,
galleries and auction houses are institutions of profit. They want to
get the best possible price for the artwork they endorse. The last
institution is the buyer or collector. Examples of this group are
wealthy individuals or a well endowed museum. The art market is the
way it is because of this group. Collecting Chinese contemporary are
work is now the hot thing. But like all good things it could end. The
prices of Chinese art are now becoming very expensive. Right now the
biggest buyers have been foreign. What this shows is that the Chinese
can't afford to enter the game yet. Even those who are wealthy are not
sure. When the day comes that the Chinese collector has the lead as
the dominant financial force of art collecting, the art scene will be
secure. Like any bubble or form of speculation, the market could
collapse at a moments notice. Collectors hold the power to change the
market. In the end, it's the job of the artists and the galleries to
keep collectors interested in the art scene.

Bibliography

HSBC, Private Bank. Design and Art Advisory.
http://www.hsbcprivatebank.com/services/design-and-art-advisory.html
This website provides insight into the world of wealthy. This section
illustrates that even banks are providing high net worth individuals
with advice on how to enter the art market in China.
Jiao, Priscilla. South China Morning Post. May 29, 2011.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020474&docId=l:1426539351&start=2

This article explains how wealthy Chinese are now entering the
Chinese art market. From this article one understands how the Chinese
market is now getting buyers from home.

Bristow, Michael. BBC News, Beijing.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7263125.stm

This article from the BBC provides a look Chinese art market
from a financial point of view. The article mentions the how Sotheby's
has played an important role in the rise of the contemporary art
market.

Abby Lavin, Kellie Schmitt, Stephanie Thomas and Xing Zhao. 20 people
burning up the Shanghai art scene. Cnn. May 27, 2010.
http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/20-people-burning-shanghai-art-scene-888595

This article provides a quick look at the major figures in the
Shanghai art scene. It is helpful in finding those who are important.
But the information on each is limited. The names listed can be found
if researched on the internet.

Interview with Martin Kemble. April, 2011.

The interview with him provided insight into the Shanghai art
scene. His answers were very interesting and went against the
traditional story in Shanghai art scene.

Contemporary Art & New Media in China

Taylor Williams

6/2/2011

Professor Ayas, Professor Tarocco

Contemporary Art & New Media in China

We live in the age of the internet. There was no more important
technological innovation in the 20th century than the internet and
virtually all of modern society is connected to it in some form. Any
part of culture that wishes to be relevant in 2011 must take advantage
of all that the internet offers. In China, a country with internet
users than any other nation in the world, this statement is no less
true. Chinese citizens are flocking to the internet in record numbers
and the number of users will only increase in coming years. Thus it is
crucial to examine how and if different aspects of Chinese society are
embracing the internet. By all accounts the contemporary art scene in
China has whole-heartedly embraced the new medium of communication.
The use of the internet by the Chinese art community is especially
interesting when considered with China's long history of cultural
censorship. The artistic use of internet in China has important roots
in the 1990s while today it is utilized to create, critique, sell,
communicate about, and promote art.

Before examining the contemporary use of the internet it is best
to look back to the roots of the connection. In China, contemporary,
cutting edge art has never has an easy time surviving never mind
thriving. Since 1949 and the founding of the Chinese Communist Party
artwork and Chinese culture in general has been closely monitored. For
decades and particularly post 1989 creative artwork has been censored.
This constant battle and game of cat and mouse with Government
censorship has created a unique creative culture in China. Certainly
there are the obvious negative side-effects, lack of free-speech and
ability to express oneself to name but a few. However, one can find
unexpected positives as a result of the tight control of the
government. In the 1990s, curators and artists in China could not
depend on the traditional form of public exhibitions to completely
satisfy their creative needs. There was more that they wanted and
needed to express but could not because of the government censorship.
Artists and curators were in search of new mediums to connect with an
audience they knew was there. For that reason, during the 1990s
Chinese artists were extremely open and willing to experiment with
both New Media and alternative exhibition display techniques(335,
Hung, Wu). Chinese artists and curators where desperately looking to
create new and versatile exhibition spaces and, once it became
available, the use of the internet was a natural expansion of the
non-traditional methods of exhibition display that developed in the
1990s.

The 1999 Supermarket exhibition typified the experimental nature
of Chinese artists and curators in the 1990s. Curators Xu Zhen,
Alexander Brandt and Yang Zhengzhong decided against renting out the
traditional space for the exhibition but instead used the actual
public space of a Shanghai supermarket. Wu Hung, a Chinese curator and
critic explained the significance of such public exhibitions and their
connection to New Media and thus the internet, "The fact that a
majority of these shows used commercial spaces reflected the curators'
interest in a "mass commercial culture", which in their view had
become a major force in contemporary Chinese society....Related to
such experiments in expanding public exhibitions spaces was the effort
to adapt popular forms of mass media to create new types of
experimental art"(334,Hung, Wu). Artists and their Curators wanted to
comment on the "major forces" of contemporary Chinese society while
expanding beyond the natural boundaries of public galleries while
making use of New Media devices. When talking about his 1998
exhibition Trace of Existence and the abandoned private factory he
selected for the exhibition Feng Boyi, a Chinese artist, unwittingly
explained the motivations early and eager adaptation of web based
artwork,"Because experimental art does not have a proper place within
the framework of official Chinese art exhibition establishment, it is
difficult to exhibit this art openly and freely... We hope to
transform this informal and closed private space into an open space
for creating and exhibiting experimental art."(338, Boyi, Feng) While
he was talking about the use of the abandoned factory, the quote is
equally as telling in the context of the internet. As Boyi described
contemporary, experimental artwork was not accepted by mainstream,
Government controlled art exhibitions and thus was forced to move
elsewhere. Yet obstacles or not, artists innately feel a need to
display their work and Boyi chose to subvert the system by "creating
and exhibiting experimental art" in an abandoned factory to. For many
artists today the internet serves as their abandoned factory.

Today every relevant artist, utilizes the internet in some way,
although the manner in which the internet is used varies greatly. The
most talked about Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, uses the internet
primarily to communicate with his fans. In recent years Ai Weiwei has
expanded his relevancy beyond the art world. This would not have been
possible without his use of the internet. Weiwei, before his
detention, was constantly connected to the web, communicating and
sometimes mobilizing his supporters. He is a strong opponent of
government corruption and in 2008 when he discovered the Chinese
Government was not releasing the names of those children who perished
in the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, he used the internet to call upon his
supporters. He informed them of his outrage over the cover up and
gathered a group to travel to Sichuan to discover the children's
names.

One of the earliest to identify the potential of the internet
was Shi Yong, a Shainghinese artist born in 1963. Yong's work often
focuses on modernization and capitalism and the powerful, often
subconscious, effects, it has on people. In 1999 Yong utilized the
communicative tools of the internet in his "Made in China-Welcome to
China" exhibition. Yong created an image of the ideal Shainghinese man
by conducting an online survey that asked for the desired qualities
for the ideal man. The social commentary of the project was impressive
but the most lasting impression from this project will be Yong's early
incorporation of the web-community.

Other contemporary Chinese artists, such as Wu Junyong
understand the ubiquity of the internet and use their websites as
permanent art galleries. Junyong's website, www.wujunyong.com is a
clean well maintained site that encourages visitors to explore the
many areas of Wu Junyong's work. His website features a short
biography, updates on upcoming public exhibitions and Junyong's
"Works" and "Projects". Junyong does normal paintings with brush and
paper but he also embraces the freedom of the internet by creating
animations and interactive game-art. The viewer is turned into a user
with with Junyong's interactive work as the user becomes apart of the
experience with a say in the outcome of work. There is no way to
passively watch this work, one is forced to interact. This is the type
of cutting edge work that cannot be supported without the use of the
internet. Yet Junyong is better known for his animation,such as his
well-known 2005 "Wait us Rich". His animations are short, at under 5
minutes, easily accessible and often vulgar making them perfect for
internet users. His website allows Junyong to explore and display both
his cutting edge avant-garde interactive art and more traditional art
forms such as painting.

Perhaps the most innovative use of the internet comes from
thirty one year old Cao Fei. Fei's most famous work, RMB City, is
entirely reliant on the internet and in fact is not based in reality
whatsoever. The project takes place completely within the online
virtual reality game, Second Life. Fei describes her Second Life
project as, "A city that is a condensed incarnation of contemporary
Chinese cities with most of their characteristics; a series of new
Chinese fantasy realms that are highly self-contradictory,
inter-permeative, pan-political, extremely entertaining, and laden
with irony and suspicion"(Fei, Cao). Fei is embracing the internet's
ability to create a new world and temporarily get lost in an
alternative reality. She uses the online game Second Life to create
an entire storyline between two avatars. RMB City gives Fei an
opportunity to control a "condensed incarnation of contemporary"
Shanghai and comment on it as she sees fit. She has created a world
where she can cause an effect on something that in reality she could
only passively critique or comment on. Fei also uses this city to make
documentaries that among other things explore the increasingly hazier
line between physical reality and virtual reality. What truly makes
this an innovative project is that viewers are free to explore Cao
Fei's RMB City. Anyone is able to create a free Second Life avatar and
visit RMB City. The ability for users to interact with RMB City leads
to another important aspect of Chines Art and its relationship with
the internet. The non-artist side of the art community.

All of the innovative uses of the internet detailed above would
be utterly useless( despite what many artists may tell you) if the art
community did not follow them online. However, there is much evidence
that the Chinese online art community is actually thriving. The
contemporary art scene in Shanghai and China as a whole is still
developing but much of this development is taking place on online
communities, where passionate Chinese art fans come together to
critique artwork, discuss up and coming artists and talk about recent
shows. Adam Schokora, founder of www.neocha.com recently described the
Chinese creative community as "digitally native". While there are
relevant artists who grew up without the internet, more and more the
internet was apart of these peoples lives from childhood. Thus, the
internet is naturally the first place they turn to for information.
The internet served as the first link to the international and in many
cases the national art scene for millions of Chinese. With an
underlying understanding of the importance of the communicative powers
of the internet it was a natural progression for the art community to
use the internet to its advantage. Similarly the fans and non-artist
contingent of the art community also quickly realized the power of the
internet. Prime examples of these vibrant online communities are
www.neocha.com a bilingual site devoted to "Celebrating Chinese
Creativity", www.21art.cn a social network for art lovers and
www.art-ba-ba.com also a social network with approximately 50,000
that also compiles tracks contemporary art news and events. David
Shokora founder of www.neocha.com, described his motivation for
launching his site,"The site was borne out of the need to connect
China's growing communities of "creatives" who are largely
under-represented by mainstream Chinese media and lack effective
distribution platforms on and offline", he continued that his desire
was to create a "discovery portal" for China's creative types. This
attempt, not to say Neocha has successfully achieved the goal, is the
exact kind of thinking that can help utilize the internet to its
fullest potential for the Chinese art community.

After living in Shanghai for three months and experiencing a
great deal of Chinese art, it seems Mr. Sokora has accurately
identified the communities biggest problem. He understands that
China's reputation of having a massive deficit of creativity is
somewhat exaggerated and inaccurate. Creativity, especially in regards
to contemporary art, is present in China, but it is more hidden than
in many other cultures. Thus the vital importance of the internet and
web based art communities as an outlet for much of this hidden or even
suppressed creativity. Mr. Sokora, has identified that it is not only
a problem of lack of creativity as so many people focus on, but a
problem of needing a coherent, strong community. Experimental, cutting
edge Chinese art has been forced underground for so long that the
community is extremely fragmented and not easily identifiable to an
outsiders eye. The internet provides the perfect opportunity for the
community to finally come together as a collective. From the early
adapters such as Shi Yong to Cao Fei with her cutting edge RMB City
and the prospering online fan communities such as
www.art-ba-ba.com,the process has clearly already began. The
community on all sides has shown complete willingness to utilize the
web, but the innovation must continue and creative thinkers such as
Cao Fei and promoters such as David Sokora must continue to push the
envelope to ensure continued progress and relevancy.

Works Cited

1) Berghuis, Thomas J. "Chapter 5: Performance Art in New Media."
Performance Art in China. Hong Kong: Timezone 8, 2006. 123-50. Print.

2) Boyi, Feng. "The Path to Trace of Existence (Shengcun Henji): A
Private Showing of Contemporary Chinese Art." Contemporary Chinese
Art: Primary Documents. By Hung Wu and Peggy Wang. New York: Museum of
Modern Art, 2010. 338-43. Print.
3) "China's Creative Community and Youth Culture: Interview with Adam
Schokora." Interview by Zhu Jenny. Www.jennyzhu.com. 25 May 2009. Web.
30 May 2011. <http://jennyzhu.com/2009/05/25/chinas-creative-community-and-youth-culture-interview-with-adam-schokora/>.

4) Du, Huang. "My View of Art and Criticism." Contemporary Chinese
Art: Primary Documents. By Hung Wu and Peggy Wang. New York: Museum of
Modern Art, 2010. 325-26. Print.

5) Fei, Cao. "RMB City - Online Urbanization." RMB City Blogs. 11 Aug.
2008. Web. 30 May 2011. <http://rmbcity.com/>.

6) Hung, Wu. ""Experimental Exhibitions" of the 1990s." Contemporary
Chinese Art: Primary Documents. By Hung Wu and Peggy Wang. New York:
Museum of Modern Art, 2010. 327-37. Print.

7) NeochaEDGE /// Celebrating Chinese Creativity. Web. 01 June 2011.
<http://edge.neocha.com/>.

8) Storz, Reinhard. "Internet-Based Art in Museums, Private Art
Collections and Galleries." Owning Online Art: Selling and Collecting
Netbased Art. UAS Northwestern Switzerland, Apr. 2010. Web. 01 June
2011. <http://www.ooart.ch/publikation/02.php?m=1>.

The Politics of Art

Barry Kramer
June 2, 2011
Contemporary Art and New Media in China
The Politics of Art
Art is an incredible way to take a closer look at the human side of
history. No amount of written documents can as efficiently express
the emotions of the people at a given time as a work of art can.
Especially with works in which the artist was emotionally invested, he
or she will express their individuality and passions, passing between
subject and medium. An artist's life and upbringing can strongly
influence a final product, whether they are aware of it or not,
consciously or subconsciously. In this way, a given time's culture
and politics can also have a major effect on the art of that period,
and with a particular lens we can peer through the strata of artworks,
searching for the subtexts hidden beneath. The rise of the
contemporary art scene in Shanghai has been slow but steady, growing
despite some heavily oppressive behavior from the government. A
period of strong political force such as the past few decades of
Chinese history is bound to lead to the production of art that
reflects the current political climate. In times such as these, art
and politics go hand in hand, joined out of the necessity of spreading
a message. Every piece of contemporary Chinese art carries a
political message, however slight, and sometimes even despite the
artist's original intentions.
There are many pieces of contemporary art that are blatantly
political in theme. A fairly recent example can be found in the "Fuck
Off" exhibition held in Shanghai in 2000. Curated by Feng Boyi and Ai
Weiwei, the exhibition featured the works of a large number of Chinese
contemporary artists. Many of the works were very controversial, and
government officials ultimately closed the exhibition down early. Of
course no mention of Ai Weiwei can go without documenting his exploits
of recent years. In addition to his work related to the "Fuck Off"
exhibition, Ai Weiwei produced a series of photos titled "Study of
Perspective" that depict the artist "giving the finger" to a number of
famous landmarks around the world from a first-person perspective.
The political connotations are obvious. A few years later he produced
"Sunflower Seeds" which features roughly one hundred million
hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds; a direct commentary on the
massive scale of the consumption of goods in China. Later, despite
vocalizing his anti-Olympics sentiment, he was commissioned by the
government to help design the iconic "Bird's Nest" stadium for the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In recent years, Ai Weiwei became
increasingly vocal in his disapproval of the government, culminating
in his arrest this past April. A number of incidents, from the
government-planned demolition of his studio in January to a nude
self-portrait with a caption that roughly translates to, "Fuck your
mother, the Communist party central committee," led up to Ai Weiwei's
detainment by authorities at Beijing airport. Yet despite his
dissident political views and outrageous behavior many view him first
and foremost as an artist, albeit one who is explicitly motivated by
political purposes. It is perhaps his status as an artist, and not as
a dissident politician, that gave his arrest so much attention in the
West. In the West we are such strong believers in the right to Free
Speech that the attempted silencing of an artist is a damnable human
rights offense, not an act of self-preservation by the government.
There are those who strongly believe Ai Weiwei has been intentionally
trying to get arrested and it's all an act on his part, but in that
case the situation changes from an arrest caused by
politically-charged art to a kind of perverse performance art. In
either case, Ai Weiwei's actions have proven a firm connection between
art and politics in modern China, and how much impact one man can have
on a society through his art.
Meanwhile, other Chinese contemporary artists are less inclined to
work in a political space, and yet their works are also influenced by
today's political landscape. Take for instance the artistic team
known as Birdhead, comprised of Song Tao and Ji Weiyu. In an
interview with Paul Gladstone of the University of Nottingham, Ji
Weiyu proclaimed he is "…indifferent to politics," and later, "I have
no interest in politics at all." Song Tao explicated, "…we're not so
inspired by the politically oriented field." When asked about the
function of certain types of art in contemporary China, they explained
that in their eyes, "some work tends to have a more political
function; some work often uses Chinese labels or symbols to attract
buyers, which they do just for the purposes of the market. While our
work, it tends to be more life-philosophical orientated." Reading
that, one would assume that every piece of art that comes out of
Birdhead would feature pastoral landscapes or other images devoid of
modern conflict. And yet some of their photography, such as those
featured in the collection "Welcome to the World of Birdhead 2011 –
For Passion" depicts urban scenes: families heading to a community
swimming pool, a couple of stray dogs caught mid-conflict, the pillars
of smoke stemming from a factory, et cetera. Yet it's important to
note that among the signs of urban decay, there are hints of love and
passion within the city. So while there are certainly strong
arguments for these pieces' philosophical leanings, to claim there is
no political inspiration in any form would be foolhardy. In the
communist, authoritarian society that exists in China today, the
government is directly responsible for practically everything within
its borders. That factory is there because of urban planning; the
public swimming pool could be tied to local economic policies, and so
on. Even when artists do not have politics in mind when producing
their art, political subtexts are present in everything; they're
unavoidable in China. This could perhaps be the result of viewing
China through a Western lens, but it is for all intents and purposes
impossible to produce art today in China without any sort of political
ties.
When Song Tao and Ji Weiyu proclaim that they are in effect
distancing themselves from political issues to focus on life and
philosophy, they are making a political statement, just as Ai Weiwei
does with his "Fairtale" or "Dropping the Urn," albeit a less
pronounced one. When the government is actively taking steps to
suppress undesirable content, the absence of apparent political intent
can in fact imply a hidden political message. Additionally, many
artists prefer to turn away from politics and focus instead on
criticizing or lampooning the media or culture, yet both of these are
intrinsically tied to politics. Especially tied to contemporary
politics is the media, because as much as they've tried to establish
themselves as reliable news sources, they are still all state-owned.
Xu Zhen took on the media with 8848-1.86, a film presented in a
documentary style that shows the artist and several other men removing
the top few feet off of Mount Everest. During its premiere at the
2005 Yokohama International Triennale, attendees were further confused
by an actual report released at the same time announcing Mount Everest
to in reality being a little shorter than originally estimated. A
happy coincidence for Xu Zhen, perhaps, but the ensuing confusion
helped get across one of his points of how readily we accept the
information presented to us on a daily basis; a harsh critique on news
networks, and by extension, the government.
So if every piece of art produced in China today is tied to politics,
where does that leave freedom of expression? Is every artist forced
to comment on the government against his or her will? Well in a
sense, yes. Of course artists are free to let their art guide them
and tackle any subject they desire, but whether or not they're
focusing on politics, their art will still reflect the current working
atmosphere. They can directly tackle politics, like Ai Weiwei, they
can indirectly tackle politics, like Xu Zhen's 8848-1.86, or they can
avoid politics altogether and in doing so comment on either the
government's suppression of such works or lack of desire to
participate in the ongoing quarrel. Complicating the issue further is
the government's funding of certain spaces such as the Duolun MoMA,
indicating at least some party officials see a value in contemporary
art. How can a tourist traverse the art scene and know which artists
are speaking directly from the heart and which ones are
state-sponsored slogans? Fortunately, independent artistic spaces
such as M50 exist which provide galleries a space to both produce and
engage with the marketplace. Artists need a safe haven to take a step
back from their surroundings and reflect and contemplate. Much in the
same way one gains a greater understanding of the contemporary art
scene which each successive gallery visit. One needs contrasts to
draw distinctions, and it's fantastic the government allows spaces
such as M50 to not only exist, but thrive. However, here we have yet
another connection between art and politics in Shanghai. With the art
scene developing as rapidly as it is, the government would have a hard
time containing it, and instead allows it to flourish. Yet this
back-and-forth between artists and government forms the foundation for
the connection that is present in the art.
Ultimately, art is always tied to the times during which it is
produced, although some works are more evocative of a certain period
than others. This is especially evident in today's China, which is
currently undergoing one of the greatest transitions in recent human
history. In time, we may come to think of the Communist Party as
another dynasty following a lengthy tradition of Chinese tradition. A
dynasty that has produced its own art, its own culture. As Jiehong
Jiang puts it in the preface to Burden or Legacy: From the Chinese
Cultural Revolution to Contemporary Art, "The drama of Chinese history
is always reflected in the arts. During the social, ideological,
political and cultural conflicts of the twentieth century, Chinese art
changed more rapidly than in any other period" (vii). This period of
development and change continues on today. The legacy of the Cultural
Revolution, a massive political movement, lives on in just about every
aspect of modern Chinese life. School children are ingrained with the
beliefs of the party to the point where they reside as subconscious
memories once they are adults (8). Another leftover from the Cultural
Revolution era is the depiction of Chairman Mao, a staple in the
lexicon. Many contemporary artists reproduce the classic Mao portrait
with their own unique spin or style, others seek to deface the image.
Such works can be seen all over the art scene in Shanghai, and whether
these works are born of creative expression or satisfying the market,
they are reinforcing the link between politics and art.
As long as the Communist Party maintains a shred of its suppressive
tendencies, Chinese contemporary art will continue to constantly
reflect the political climate. When something as inherently about
message and context as art is so subject to the whim of a larger body,
it is inevitable that the two shall become intertwined both
consciously and subliminally. Whether an artist goes the way of Ai
Weiwei or Xu Zhen or Song Haidong or Birdhead is entirely up to them.
No one besides the government is expecting the art scene to do
anything other than collectively express themselves, however they see
fit. But for the time being, Chinese art cannot escape from politics,
much as it cannot escape from history. However, one day, there is the
hope that Chinese artists will be able to freely express themselves
without fear of arrests, early closures, or demolitions. When that
day arrives, Chinese art will no longer be rigidly tied to politics,
and will be free to grow without worry or constraint.
Bibliography
Gabbatt, Adam, and Tania Branigan. "Ai Weiwei's Shanghai Art Studio to
Be Demolished." The Guardian. 3 Nov. 2010. Web.
Gordon, Susie. "Moganshan Lu and Beyond – Shanghai's Art Scene Past
and Present." EChinacities.com. Expat Corner, 16 Jan. 2009. Web.
James Cohan Gallery. Xu Zhen: Just Did It. Xu Zhen - February 2 -
March 8 2008. 2 Feb. 2008. Web.
Ji Weiyu and Song Tao. "Interview with Birdhead (Song Tao and Ji
Weiyu)." Interview by Paul Gladston. ShanghART Gallery. 2008. Web.
Ji Weiyu, and Song Tao. "Welcome to the World of Birdhead 2011 - For
Passion." ShanghART Gallery. 14 Mar. 2011. Web.
Jiehong, Jiang. Burden or Legacy: From the Chinese Cultural Revolution
to Contemporary Art. Hong Kong: Hong Kong UP, 2007. Print.
Sheridan, Michael. "Ai Weiwei Held for 'obscene' Political Art." The
Australian. 11 Apr. 2011. Web.

What is Contemporary Art’s Relationship with Society?

Caroline Liao

What is Contemporary Art's Relationship with Society?

"Contemporary art, at the end of the day, is about addressing the time
we live in. […] I think everyone [contemporary artists] is looking to
express something about the human condition. That is a general theme."
Arthur Solway, the director of the James Cohan Gallery.

An interesting phenomenon in China is demonstrated by the usual
audience at art exhibitions and galleries. The fact is despite
increasing interest in Chinese contemporary art, the shows are still
largely attended by foreigners.  When arriving at the Minsheng Museum
for the opening night of Trilogy, Liu Wei's Solo Show on March 20th,
2011, I was shocked at the number of Westerners in attendance.  In
fact, it seemed as though the number of foreigners outnumbered the
Asians here in China.  Even in class, we have discussed that in the
past, buyers of the contemporary Chinese art are usually Western and
non Chinese collectors. Only just recently have the Chinese
billionaires, or extremely wealthy Chinese, emerged onto the scene.
However, the Chinese contemporary art market has not yet embraced the
art lover and small scale collector.  Yet, especially when dealing
with topics relating to the human condition and modernization in
China, this narrow audience does not allow for a complete discussion
of the ideas in these artworks.

This is a problem that many people within the art world observe and
now are seeking to address.  Of particular interest to me are the
artist's own initiatives to have discussions about society and its
issues with a wider audience.  Increasingly, contemporary art is
moving towards becoming more inclusive towards the general population
of China.  But, this movement is not purely a factor of the Chinese
simply having more leisure time and disposable income, but also the
initiative of artists to reach out to those who might not ordinarily
attend an art show.  To do so, many artists have created special
projects using creative mediums to include more people into the
contemporary art scene and its discussions.

"Art for Sale" was one of these innovative art exhibitions pioneered
by Bizart.  It was held in the unique location of a supermarket on
Huaihai Zhong Road, a famous shopping district within the inner ring
of Shanghai.  This 1999 exhibition blurred the lines between art and
commercialism not only through its unique location, but also through
the mass production sale of contemporary art.  Each of the 30 artists
involved, including artists like Yang Zhenzhong, Xu Zhen, Liang Yue,
Zhao Bandi, and Yang Fudong, were required to create a commercial
product related to their contemporary art piece ("Art for Sale").
These products were then package, labeled, and recreated to sell to
the masses.

Even the layout of the exhibition was similar to that of an ordinary
supermarket, with the usage shopping baskets, store clerks, and even
aisles.  However, what makes this special is that the concept of a
supermarket is inextricably tied to the ordinary lives of each Chinese
individual, changing the usual relationship between art and the
community.  Attendants of this particular exhibit were not the usual
visitors of art galleries and museum. In fact, when surveying the
customers who were purchasing these contemporary art products at this
exhibition, it was discovered that most of the audience member did not
ordinarily attend exhibitions or museum.  From Yang Zhen Zhong's
video, we can see that this project brought contemporary art into the
lives of many different people. Even without previous knowledge of the
artists, these people are participating in the exhibits hinting at the
fact that contemporary art is simply not widely known.  Once the
opportunity is there, people will come because the ideas behind these
pieces contain a universal quality.

This exhibition was not purely a show to increase exposure
contemporary art, but it also discusses the issues of art ownership
and sale of art.  As the prices of these commercial products were not
extremely expensive, this art exhibition also made owning a work of
contemporary art available to a wide variety of people.  "Art for
Sale" brought up questions about "art as a commodity" and the reasons
behind creating and purchasing art.  What made this show special is
that this dialogue was occurring between artists and the ordinary
people, not simply those who have achieved a wealthy standing or those
immersed in the art world.  Furthermore, since these purchasers were
not traditional collectors, most of these people purchased a product
from "Art for Sale" purely for the enjoyment of contemporary art.

Another project that brought art to the people instead of simply
creating a stagnant exhibition was the Long March Project.  The Long
March Project, was a contemporary art collective based in Beijing,
that began in 2002 and was run by Lu Jie and Qiu Zhijie.  Lu Jie, the
artist, curator, and founder of the project found inspiration from the
historical Long March, a six-thousand mile retreat of China's Red Army
from the Kuomintang forces.  The exhibition consisted of twelve sites
located along this historic route: Ruijin, Jinggangshan, On the Road
in Guangxi, Kunming, Lijiang, Lugu Lake, On the Train, Zunyi, Maotai,
Xichang, Moxi, and Luding Bridge ("Art and China's Revolution").  This
traveling art exhibition allows the artists to create pieces that
instigated conversations about "issues like the idea of the genius,
the role avant-garde art, the relationship between self and other, the
relationship between the Han Chinese majority and minority ethnic
groups. Issues like Christianity in China, sharing and distributing
resources, and the possibility of a new democratic society." More
importantly, it allows him to facilitate a conversation with those who
happened to be at the right place at the right time.  For example, the
site, "On the Train," involved holding exhibitions on a train car.
Guests were available to travel freely to this special entire
passenger train to display, perform, and discuss artist works.  The
issues previously listed have been issues debated since the time of
the original Long March, but have never been answered.  However, by
opening up these discussions with the people living around this route,
artists are one step closer to having a better understanding of
society and these issues.

What makes this art project so particular is that these exhibitions
traveled through the country to the poorer countryside.  Another goal,
stated by the Lu Jie, is to march "art to China's peripheral
population" ("The Long March Project").  The people that these artists
interacted with were perhaps less educated and wealthy, but they bring
a unique perspective and experience when participating in these
performances and observing the art works, whether they be
installations, photographs, or painting.  These people were able to
talk directly with the artists and get exposed to a wide range of
topics.  In turn, artists were able to learn about the thoughts and
ideas of this population, underrepresented in the contemporary art
world.

While the previously discussed works involved exhibitions being held
in interesting locations, Dial 62761232, was not held in a particular
location at all.  Dial 62761232, also known as the Express Delivery
Exhibition, was organized by Bizart.  This exhibition ran from
September 10th to September 20th, 2006, from 10:00AM to 20:00PM.
Irritiated by the fact that contemporary art exhibitions were not
receiving the attendance that these artists wished for, many artists,
including Xu Zhen, Yang Zhenzhong, and Kan Xuan, collaborated to put
together this art exhibition.  They chose to bring art to the people
in a manner that "all people in Shanghai use to attain their goods," a
courier system.  The exhibitions would be delivered to people's houses
and set up by specially trained messengers. Each caller would then be
able to keep the randomly selected exhibition for a day ("Dial
62761232").

The idea of being able to have your own exhibition for a day is an
interesting concept.  Particularly because in this case, other than
the initial set up by messengers, the participant is free to interact
with this piece of artwork however they wish.  It brings contemporary
art into a more intimate setting, but at the same time increases the
availability of these works.  People who ordinarily would not have the
time to go to an art gallery would simply be able to enjoy the work of
art in the comfort of their own home.  Additionally, by sending these
contemporary artworks directly to the individual, it removes the
concerns and insecurities that many Chinese have, preventing them from
entering a gallery or museum.  Having talked to some local Chinese
students, I learned that many choose not to attend these museums
because they believe that they do not have the right background to
fully comprehend the exhibits and thus there is no point of even
attending.  Dial 62761232 creates a personalize connection with the
artwork allowing the viewer to build a closer relationship with these
pieces and enjoy the experience of owning a piece of contemporary. But
this exhibition did not solely benefit the viewer of art, but also the
artists themselves.  Artists were able to spread their ideas to a
wider range of people and phone calls came pouring in nonstop asking
for these exhibitions deliveries.

However, artists have not only spread their own ideas through these
initiatives to make art more inclusive, but also used these
initiatives to enable others outside the traditional contemporary art
scene to create their own artwork.  Cai Guoqiang's Peasant da Vinci is
a striking project that takes the act of creating contemporary art
from the professional "artists" and gives it to local peasants from
China's countryside. The pieces that Cai Guoqiang collected over the
span of many years accumulated into this exhibition displayed to the
public at the Rockbund Art Museum from May 4 to July 25, 2010.  These
works represent "the unquenchable universal desire to innovate in
pursuit of modernity and the influence of nature, society, politics,
and other cultural factors on invention" (Culp).

More than simply facilitation a discussion, it opens up opportunities
for the traditionally poor to present their works to the public.  The
show's catalogue stated, "The exhibition also intends to provide a
platform for discussions on the social transformation of hundreds of
millions of peasants in the modernizing process in China."
Modernization is a subject that touches the lives of everyone in China
and without this initiative, many of the ideas of these peasants would
not be heard.  Works presented in this exhibition range from planes
and submarines to helicopters and flying saucers.  Wu Yulu, claimed to
be the most impressive "Peasant da Vinci," was a maker of robots and
was given an entire floor of the museum to create a robot production
workshop ("Chinese Invention").  What is significant about this work
is that Cai Guoqiang utilizes the inspirations and ideas of others and
creates an opportunity for their ideas to be displayed.  By opening up
opportunities to create contemporary art, people of greater diversity
are able to create works of art and facilitate a more dynamic and
diverse discussion between the community in China and artists and art
lovers.

Slowly, these artist initiatives to expand the audience of
contemporary art have lead to the opening of alternative art galleries
like Para/site, the Arrow Factory, and the Observation society.
Para/site is an non-profit art organization in the centre of Hong Kong
("Introduction").  Opened in 1996 and run by office manager Jenny Lam,
the mission statement of this gallery is "to establish and maintain a
platform for artists and other art practitioners to realize their
vision, in relation with their immediate and extended communities,
with the aim of nurturing a thoughtful and creative society"
("Mission").  The Arrow Factory, an "alternative outlet for
contemporary art production in Beijing," was founded in 2008 in a
hutong alleyway far away from the city's art districts. It focuses on
works that respond to the immediate local environment and the diverse
economic, political, and social conditions of the local everyday
experiences.  Similarly, the Observation Society is an independently
run art space in Bejing an independent space for the arts "set in a
former hair salon and with a distinctly perceptual bent."  Created by
artists Hu Xiangqian and Wong Wai Yin in 2008, the space has a goal of
creating exhibitions free from commercial, institutional, and
curatorial interventions (Yung).  The creation of these alternative,
usually non-profit spaces, have often encouraged artworks that further
pushed the boundaries.  By not being bounded by commercial interests,
these places free up opportunities for local and international artists
to express their thoughts and ideas to the community, without
requiring being driven by the market. Moreover, the unique locations
of these art galleries increase their relevancy to their local
surroundings.  All of these initiatives represent a push to bring
contemporary art to a wider audience of people and to bring the act of
art creation to a wider range of people.  Slowly with the increase of
these local artistic spaces, I think more people will be encouraged to
see and learn about what is happening in the art world.  Slowly more
of the issues that are currently being suppressed will be opened up to
discussion.

In their strive to make contemporary art more inclusive to the Chinese
community, many contemporary artists have sought unique ways to reach
out to the 老百姓, or everyday people.  Most of these methods involved
stepping outside the traditional gallery and museum and implementing
aspects of daily life to display the artwork.  The result of these
movements is the creation of a dialogue between a larger portion of
the community and the artists.  By doing so, the works created better
represent the human condition and influence a greater number of
people.  The act of "bring art to the masses" creates a unique
platform for which people can discuss and ponder societal issues.  In
the past, this conversation occurred only between artists and a
limited group of individuals.  However, by making contemporary art
more inclusive, artists are better able to express their thoughts and
ideas.

But most importantly, artist initiatives which make contemporary art
more inclusive bring the artwork one step closer to expressing the
human condition.  The conversations facilitated with those who might
otherwise not have been exposed to contemporary art allow for a
greater variety and diversity. These dialogues not only enhances the
experience of these new contemporary art participants, but also
enhances the works themselves. It takes contemporary art one step
closer towards comprehending and expressing the human condition.

Bibliography

"Art and China's Revolution: Long March Project." Art Society. 2008.
Web. 30 May 2011. <http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinarevo/?p=70>.

"Art for Sale." ShanghART Gallery Shanghai. 1999. Web. 31 May 2011.
<http://www.shanghartgallery.com/galleryarchive/catalog.htm?catalogId=171>.

"Chinese Invention: Peasant Da Vincis." The Economist. 8 July 2010.
Web. 30 May 2011.
<http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/07/chinese_invention>.

Culp, Samantha. "Cai Guoqiang's "Peasant Da Vinci's"." RedBox Review.
4 May 2010. Web. 31 May 2011.
<http://review.redboxstudio.cn/2010/05/cai-guoqiangs-peasant-da-vincis/>.

"Dial 62761232." Arthub. 2004. Web. 30 May 2011.
<http://arthubasia.org/archives/62761232/>.

"Introduction." Para/Site Art Space. Hong Kong Art Development
Council. Web. 30 May 2011.
<http://www.para-site.org.hk/about-us/history/introduction>.

"The Long March Project: Interview with Lu Jie." Long March Project.
Web. 28 May 2011.
<http://www.longmarchproject.com/english/e-discourse1.htm>.

"Mission." Para/Site Art Space. Hong Kong Art Development Council.
Web. 30 May 2011.
<http://www.para-site.org.hk/about-us/history/introduction>.

Yung, Anthony T. "Yishu Select: Observation Society." RedBox Review.
28 July 2010. Web. 30 May 2011.
<http://review.redboxstudio.cn/2010/07/yishu-select-observation-society/>.

Weekly Blog Posts

1. March 10th, 2011: Secret Propaganda - Response to the Shanghai
Propaganda Poster Art Centre (posted on blog, later date because
started class one week late)

2. March 10th, 2011: Paper, Water, and Ink - Response to the Shanghai
Museum (posted on blog)

3. March 17th, 2011: Of Gold and Jade – Response to the Jade Buddha
Temple (posted on blog)

4. March 24th, 2011: Lines III – Response to Trilogy, Liu Wei's Solo
Show (posted on blog)

5. March 31st, 2011: Meat and Satire - Response to Gu Dexin and Zhou
Tiehai (posted on blog)

6. April 7th, 2011: Fiber Glass Creations - Response to the Shanghai
Sculpture Space (posted on blog)

7. April 14th, 2011: WEEK OF MIDTERM – no blog post due

8. April 20th, 2011: Satirical Works – Response to Song Dong and Zhao
Bandi (posted on blog)

9. April 27th, 2011: WEEK OF SPRING BREAK – no blog post due

10. May 4th, 2011: Twoself – Response to Transexperiences (emailed)

11. May 12th, 2011: Response to "On the Train" (printed and turned in
to Professor Ayas due to trouble with Internet connection)

12. May 19th, 2011: Of Dogs and Cabbages – Response to Han Bing's
photography (emailed)

13. May 26th, 2011: Send in proposal for final paper

The Shaping of the Contemporary Taiwanese Art World - Yishu Mar 2003

The growth of the Taiwan art scene is expertly detailed in Hai-Ming Huang's article "The Shaping of the Contemporary Taiwanese Art World: A Review of the Contemporary Taiwanese Art Events From the 1980s to the Present," published in the March 2003 Spring Issue of Yishu. Over the past few decades, certain political and socioeconomic factors contributed to an increased focus on art in Taiwan. In particular, the lifting of martial law in 1987 was viewed as a "watershed" moment. The early nineties marked a strong period of growth within the Taiwanese art scene, and the development spurred in the late nineties continued far into the next millennium. However, prior to the lifting of martial law, a number of factors contributed to an increase in the quality of Taiwanese modern art. A number of international exhibitions, notably those by Japan and Korea, highlighted a perceived lack of quality in Taiwanese art. That combined with conversations with the mainland, and Taiwanese artists soon sought to refine their craft and establish their own voice. The success of their recent exhibitions supports the claim that they have done so.

“An International Discourse on New Chinese Video and Photography”

This article is actually a transcription of a panel which took place in 2004 in San Diego about new Chinese video and photography. Britta Erickson, the moderator, first starts the discussion with a brief history of Chinese photography and video. Early Chinese photography was mainly used for propaganda during the Cultural Revolution. In the 1980s is when China’s avant-garde gained popularity is also when photography gained popularity. Initially, photography was merely a method of documenting performance art. But, artists soon realized that their method of documentation is an art in itself.
After looking at the article’s accompanying photographs which were shown at the discussion, I think some of the photographs raise the question of what is the boundary between art photography and propaganda or advertisement photography. A picture’s intent is to capture a specific moment in time, and from that moment the viewer can usually piece together the story, which is what I think art photography aims to do. But there is one picture which has a nearly naked Chinese man, sitting cross-legged on a giant cabbage leaf with the word Mcdonld’s and logo stamped into his chest. His head is tilted upward and both hands are touching his chest right under the logo. The background is a blurry city skyline at night, that has clearly been photoshopped in. What is this image trying to convey? The title, Thinker, does not suggest much besides the obvious, given his body language.

Zunyi

The town of Zunyi was chosen for the Long March Project because of its historical significance. In 1935, there was a meeting held in Zunyi which put an end to the Leftist line dominance in the Communist Party. The Long March Project used Zunyi to determine the significance of the native experience and native forms. The Zunyi symposium, titled “International Symposium—Curating in Chinese Context'” and is a series of artistic activities where those in attendance will debate the importance of native context in art practice and the influence of the Chinese Revolution of the international contemporary art and contemporary Chinese art. The majority of those in attendance will be curators (both independent and those at an institution), gallery owners, members of the art press, artists and critics. They will discuss several issues, but hope to address several key questions, such as, curating in the Chinese context, curating exhibitions: the power and interpretation of visual space, alternative spaces, independent curating and the development of resources.

blog post

Interview with Chen Zhen
When reading the interview with Chen Zhen, the reader can get lost in the language of the interviewer and the interviewee. Chen Zhen's interview should be commended for it's a piece of artistic genius. The interview itself is a piece of artwork. The interviewer is not a real person, the reader finds out in the end. Also the questions and answers are an example of Chen Zhen's own opinions on art. I would not dare say that I understood much of Chen Zhen's interview. Also when reading this interview one gets the sense that Chen Zhen has quite a big ego. Its shown through the questions and answers which try to sound way to intelligent. Obviously Chen Zhen has never read EB White's The Elements of Style. When reading his interview I began to wonder why his opinion and life in the art world is so important. The interview in many ways seems like a glorification. Chen Zhen makes the interview more about himself then about the topic of art. Yet Chen Zhen does explain what art is to him to a certain extent. The responses reminded me of philosophy classes I have taken in college. Basically, much of what Chen Zhen said in his self style interview can be taken as theoretical. That gets to the point of Contemporary Art in China. In many ways it's still a theoretical field.  The interview to me was very confusing. It would have been nice to have further background on Chen Zhen and his style of

by Taylor Williams

In Zhu Xian's interview with his alter ego, Chen Zhen, he explains his complicated and often confusing  philosophical definition of transexperiences.  In its most basic form Chen Zhen describes transexperiences as "complex life experiences of leaving one's native place and going from one place to another in one's life". Xian's alter-ego quickly expands this idea to the artistic world, saying transexperiences represent an experiential rather than conceptual concept of art. This confuses Zhu Xian and his alter ego is forced to explain in greater detail by using Buddhist quotes as well as describing transexperiences as, "Cultural homelessness, namely you do not belong to anybody , yet you are in possession of everything". Xian's alter ego has a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of the world and is able to comprehend that a concept can be at once an artistic concept and a "universal life definition".

The interview than shifts to Zhen's actual experiences and his description of his formative transexperiences in Paris. He also details and explains some of his more famous works such as "Round  Table".

At first glance it is easy to dismiss this self interview as a narcissistic artist basking in his greatness. After reading through the interview, the narcissism cannot be completely dismissed but there is much more to this interview. Zhu Xian effectively uses this gimmick to explore some very deep material. He also uses this as an opportunity to do some legitimate soul searching and ask himself many tough questions that he may never have vocalized before. 

Contemporary Art and New Media in China
Professor Defne Ayas and Francesca Tarocco
05/05/2011 Blog Entry
Yena Lee

Transexperience: Contextual Placement

Although the concept of 'transexperience' seem distant and rare initally, after Chen Zhen's further explanation on the essence of the experience, I came to realize, that I too, is a student of a 'transexperience'. Especially brought to the context of art, 'transexperience' seem like a highly more personally relevant occurrence to me. As art no is longer a pristine field where only an exclusive group of people of extreme artiness and originality tread on, it is gradually becoming a more and more common visitation with minimal barriers to entry. The idea that is the most relatable for me is defining or treating an object outside of its very own context. Often times, the context is considered to be such an essential part of an object's identity. However, identity in a way is what you designate it to be. Whatever we choose to embody a value, can embody such value and whatever we choose to be symbolized by, we can be symbolized by. The true essence of things is malleable or perhaps it is nonexistent to begin with. It all depends on designation and human perception. As everything is dependent upon human perceptions, the reality seems to have less and less importance. Reality taken out of its very own context, infused with human perception seems to be redefined as what we as humans designate it to be. It is often so easy to compare and contrast an object with its contemporaries rather than others from a different period of time. Rarely do we pull things out of its chronological framework to come up with a definition as we consider time to be an important factor of one's defining qualities. However, sometimes the rare vacuum of time in defining an object is both necessary and desirable as it provides us with new insight and perception to see both the object itself and the world.

Transexperiences

Overall, I thought this reading was a bit difficult to comprehend, because a lot of what transexperience is, is intangible and is really very hard to describe. The most basic definition that Chen Zhen uses is “the complex life experiences of leaving one’s native place and going from one place to another in one’s life.” This is pretty straightforward. Throughout the interview Chen Zhen adds to his first definition. He says that transexperiences are a “special mode of thinking and a special process of experience-accumulating” but these are not physical “experience-accumulations.” Rather, a state of life which allow an artist to “blur the rationalization of art and the mechanization of artistic styles.”

Something else I had difficulty comprehending is less directly related to transexperiences but the idea of an alter-ego. Zhu Xian is Chen Zhen’s alter-ego. But what does that really mean? Beyonce is said to have an alter-ego (Sash Fierce) when she performs. Or maybe someone who has anger management issues, might say they have an alter-ego when they’re angry. But, these two cases seem circumstantial. How can Chen Zhen and Zhu Xian co-exist is such a tight space?

In China, Art Is Making a Commercial Statement

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/business/global/01neocha.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
April 30, 2011

In China, Art Is Making a Commercial Statement

By HANNAH SELIGSON

IT isn't the familiar Adidas look — that bold and basic three-stripe
logo. Instead, it's a design meant to evoke blowing wind, flowing
water and flapping wings.

The tricked-out design for new T-shirts in China was created by Chen
Leiying, a 27-year-old artist known as Shadow Chen who lives in the
coastal city of Ningbo. She is not even an employee of the company,
but multinationals like Adidas are beginning to turn to young creative
types like her to dream up images and logos for the under-30 set in
China, a group that is 500 million strong.

Call them China's youth whisperers. From Harbin in the north to
Guangzhou in the south, young artists, musicians and designers are
being tapped to make companies' brands cool.

Like its counterparts elsewhere, this arty crowd sometimes looks and
acts unconventional — but it's not with political ends in mind. These
young artists tend to set aside politics for commerce, and the promise
of attractive paydays from foreign businesses.

At the center of this experiment is NeochaEdge, the first and only
creative agency of its type in China. It was started in 2008 by two
Americans, Sean Leow and Adam Schokora, to showcase the work of
illustrators, graphic designers, animators, sound designers and
musicians from across China. It now has 200 member-artists; NeochaEdge
pays them per project to work on campaigns and product designs for
brands like Nike, Absolut vodka and Sprite.

Adidas wants to be cool, "and the only way to be cool is to appeal to
young people," says Jean-Pierre Roy, who until recently helped oversee
product development in China for Adidas. To help enhance that image,
Adidas selected four Chinese artists, including Ms. Chen, to design 20
graphics for its new T-shirts.

Over the last year, members of the agency have also produced a
soundtrack and a streetlight graffiti show for Absolut, designed
sneakers for the Jimmy Kicks shoe company and created content for an
e-magazine for Nike about basketball culture in China. And by the end
of this year, NeochaEdge will also become a virtual art gallery,
selling artwork from its artists through its Web site.

"You can't just stroll into China and see who is a hot artist," says
Mr. Roy (who now works for Oakley, the eyewear company, in Shanghai).
"It's all still a little underground." So Mr. Schokora, 30, and Mr.
Leow, 29, have become trusted guides.

"There are not many young Americans who speak fluent Mandarin and are
as much at home talking to chief marketing officers as they are
talking to graffiti artists in Guangzhou," says Paul Ward, head of
operations for Asia at the advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty in
Shanghai, which has collaborated with NeochaEdge on projects over the
last year.

Members of NeochaEdge are a far cry from Ai Weiwei, the 53-year-old
Chinese artist and dissident who was recently detained by the
government. These graphic designers, sound artists and animators have
other motivations.

"They want to advance their careers, not challenge the political
establishment," Mr. Leow says. "Commercial art has rarely, if ever,
contained dissent."

Defne Ayas, an art history instructor at New York University in
Shanghai, put it this way in an e-mail: "For some artists in this
younger generation, the new political has become the 'market.' They
tend to be curious and friendly to the market; they don't want to miss
out on its opportunities."

In fact, the government is putting its muscle behind companies like
NeochaEdge. In Shanghai alone, the government has created more than 80
creative industry zones for 6,000 businesses. In 2008, the Shanghai
municipal government named NeochaEdge as "one of the top
representatives of the creative industry."

SO how did two young guys from the United States — Mr. Schokora grew
up in Detroit and Mr. Leow in Silicon Valley — end up becoming
conduits to the young, creative community in China?

Before founding the company, Mr. Leow, who studied Chinese as an
undergraduate at Duke, was living and working in Shanghai as a
business consultant and consuming large quantities of Chinese culture.

"I was going to a lot of art exhibitions and indie rock shows, and I
always thought that China was all about imitation and nothing
creative, but I was wrong," Mr. Leow says. That prompted the idea to
develop a social networking site for creative types in China called
neocha.com. ("Cha" is Chinese for tea.) There was just one problem:
revenue from advertisers was not coming in.

At the same time, Mr. Schokora, who has been living in China since
2003, was working as a manager of digital and social media for
Edelman, the global communications firm.

"I knew about neocha.com even before I met Sean," Mr. Schokora
recalls. "It was pretty much the only site out there aggregating what
young, creative kids in China were doing online." In 2007, Mr.
Schokora and Mr. Leow met at a music festival in Shanghai, and the
meeting quickly evolved into a partnership.

Soon, Mr. Schokora left his position at Edelman and teamed up with Mr.
Leow to take neocha.com in a new direction. Mr. Schokora, influenced
by his perspective working for a big agency, suggested changing the
business model from a social networking site to a creative consortium.

The founders say the strategy has worked. They would not reveal their
revenue, but they say it has more than doubled in the last year. They
are also considering expanding to other Asian markets, like India.

Depending on the type of project, members of the artists' group make
20 percent to 90 percent of NeochaEdge's fee, which can range from
$10,000 to $100,000.

The compensation, Ms. Chen said in an e-mail, is "more or less the
same as a senior designer at an in-house agency makes in China." But,
she adds, "there is much more freedom and opportunity to build your
name."

Li Man, 27, an independent music producer in Beijing, is a NeochaEdge
member who has been contracted to work on three projects over the last
year, including a video for Absolut. He makes 6,666 renminbi, or
around $1,000, per assignment. "The income I've brought in from my
work from NeochaEdge has allowed me to buy a lot of electronics," he
said via e-mail, "and I'm now starting to work on record projects."

Shadow Chen heard about the consortium through Twitter. She says
NeochaEdge has helped her become noticed. "In China, it's very hard to
be appreciated if you are an ordinary, independent artist, as opposed
to a famous artist who is represented by an art gallery," she says.
"NeochaEdge is probably the only good outlet for independent young
artists to be discovered."

Hurri Jin, 26, a Shanghai-based artist who goes by the name Hurricane,
has worked on five different projects with NeochaEdge and earned
20,000 renminbi, or a little more than $3,000, since he became a
member of the consortium in December 2009. "NeochaEdge has really
helped my work," he says.

BACK in the early days, Mr. Schokora and Mr. Leow went searching for
members at indie rock concerts, gallery openings and music festivals;
now, however, the artists mostly come to them.

Mr. Schokora says the company receives dozens of e-mails a day from
young people all over China who want to be featured on the Web site,
which also showcases work from artists who are not members of the
consortium. Sometimes, artists even show up at the company's office in
the Jing An District in Shanghai without an appointment.

As well as playing matchmaker, NeochaEdge produces trend reports and a
monthly e-magazine on the creative scene in the youth market. It also
recruits for focus-group research, plans exhibitions and performances
and holds workshops and training for artists.

"We are a complement to advertising agencies," Mr. Schokora said. "If
an advertising agency wanted an illustrator from, let's say, Harbin,
it would be pretty easy to search the database and find their
portfolio online," he says, referring to the capital of Heilongjiang
Province in northeastern China. "Then we just hop on instant message
and get in touch."

As companies expand their reach beyond the big cities of Beijing,
Shanghai and Guangzhou, local talent and authenticity will be more
important, says Damian Coren, chief operating officer at Leo Burnett
in Shanghai. "All the brands are looking to get into those second- and
third-tier cities, and anything that will help them push into regional
markets will be quite welcome."

Mr. Coren, incidentally, had not heard of NeochaEdge. But many others
have. Coca-Cola recently teamed up with it for a contest to find a
young, creative type to put a Chinese spin on its American theme of
"energizing refreshment." The winner — or winners — will receive up to
$65,000 in cash prizes and a trip to the Cannes Lions International
Festival of Creativity.

The agency has found its niche in providing innovative art and music.
But will that be a selling point with bigger brands that are less
out-of-the-box?

"NeochaEdge does so much cool, quirky stuff, but a lot of brands want
less quirky stuff," Mr. Ward says. "If they are going to appeal to
wider range of brands — a Procter & Gamble, for example — they are
going to have to combat the image that they only do stuff with
graffiti art."

Mr. Coren also wonders whether NeochaEdge will have appeal beyond
multinational companies. It's hard to imagine major interest from
local Chinese brands, he says, "because they are just not as
experimental or avant-garde yet."

The future direction of NeochaEdge is not yet certain. The founders
could decide to be absorbed by a large ad agency and work exclusively
for that firm's roster of clients. They say they have been approached
by three major advertising conglomerates interested in acquiring them.
The company could also stay independent and become even more daring,
perhaps by showing brands that they don't have to involve the
middlemen — the ad agencies.

NeochaEdge is proving that with some clear direction from a brand, it
can find the right illustrator, graphic designer or music producer for
the job from its outside pool. No in-house creative team is needed.
"The traditional agency model is broken, and it's only a matter of
time before it's disrupted," Mr. Leow said.

Still, the ad industry hasn't yet gone through that seismic change —
and that leaves NeochaEdge in an interesting position to consider its
next move.

"Whatever we do next, we want to continue to give hope to the young,
talented kids in China that they can make money in the creative
industry," Mr. Schokora says.