EXHIBITION SYNOPSIS

A

In AD 260, a monk named ZHU Shi-row starting from Yongzhou, embarked on his road westbound France, has thus been opened with a strong sense of cultural superiority of the Chinese people to "Western" learn curtain. In the history of Chinese culture, there have been at least three large-scale "westward seeking Law" cultural trends. ZHU Shi Wei and Jin began with the line beginning to reach the peak of the Tang Dynasty "seeking Dharma" campaign. This time the "Western" means "Western" and ancient India, taken "Classic" is limited to the Buddhist scriptures. However, this impact by Posey days demand surge on Chinese culture has very far-reaching, not only to stimulate the maturation of Taoism, Confucianism steering, also established Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism culture side by side pattern. Lasted for hundreds of years, "Seeking Movement" also affects the Chinese painting field. To the Sui and Tang dynasties, with the introduction of Buddhist art, Turkey influenced style of Gandhara art. Many painters absorbed by the Sui and Tang dynasties of ancient Greek art of Gandhara art influence on form, structure, and even the feeling of light and shadow on the development of the Tang and Song "true figure" painting had a profound impact.

Larger trend began in the late Qing Dynasty Western. Experienced a "Opium War", "Sino", "Boxer country becomes" a series of unbearable military defeat, Western gunboats eventually shattered the Chinese people's cultural superiority, to "advanced Western culture "learning has become an irreversible trend of the times. The "West" refers to the developed capitalist countries in Europe and America. Whether to "Western" or "Japan", learning is "Western." This wave of "West student movement" completely changed the pattern of China's culture, Western "democracy" and "science", "revolution" to replace the traditional Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, become the mainstream "Modern China" culture. Advanced culture also seems to prove that the advanced nature of art, Kang, Cai, Lu Xun, Chen era tycoons these are active advocates of Western painting. As opposed to "withered most of the" traditional Chinese painting, more "scientific" Western painting gradually achieved political and cultural legitimacy.

The third large-scale Western trend began in the early 1980s. West student movement and the previous two is different, this time from a Western student movement relatively narrow western culture --1,949 years later ruled the horse Chinese ideological field, uh, columns, Sri Lanka, Mao's socialist culture - - Steering broader contemporary Western culture. This trend has continued ever since Posey school, during and can be divided into two phases: 1989 was previously extensively studied modern western culture stage; Since the 1990s the focus on its "post-structuralism" and "contemporary Western culture." . In the field of art in China, corresponding to these two stages are "85 Art" and "post-89 art."

Two

China's critics in the construction of their own lineage of contemporary art, there is always traced back to the 1979 rise of the "scar art." Westerners probably hard to see these naive realism painting what "contemporary", but in China, they are the artist's own spiritual freedom to re-sign. After 1949, in the deepening of the "socialist transformation", the new Chinese art eventually become a "revolutionary machine in the 'cogs and wheels'." "Scar Art" is a product launched by the Third Plenary Session of the CPC "thought liberation movement", though follows the "revolutionary realism" painting language, but not the expression of the national will, but a generation of youth pain.

Art body language "contemporary" of the starting "85 Art." In the 1980s, despite the official "spiritual pollution" vigilance is always accompanied by "thought liberation movement," but artists still enjoy a rare spirit of freedom. A Chinese critic once made this description: they were "keen on foreign philosophical writings, keen on foreign speculative argument and description", "Nietzsche, Bergson, Freud, Russell, Wittgenstein Heidegger, existentialism, Eastern zen, Taoism, Buddhism, are keen to read and comment on the subject. "In philosophy boom, the early eighties concern "formal beauty" issues are left out, "Concept" has become a more urgent issue of art. This means that the Chinese art out of the "realism" and "formalism" of disputes, began a more aggressive stance to promote contemporary art process ontology.

1989 political turmoil so that the "85 New Wave" screeching halt. After a lapse of twenty years later, "85 Art" chaos often make critics headache: in a very short time the emergence of numerous avant-garde art group, they are looking for modern and contemporary art from the West in the course of the past century their artistic resources, they founded a magazine, organizing exhibitions, smelling mess express their declaration. In general, in the "85 Art" period (from 1985-1986), the greatest impact is Surrealism, Expressionism and Dada art; 1987 after installation art, video art, performance art, and so gradually occupy a dominant position. Overall, this is the Chinese art eager to learn, follow the "Western contemporary art" period. "New art concept" desire and anxiety, intense and hazy mental depression, and eager desire to express intertwined, so that the "85 Art" seems weird, rough and energetic.

1990s re-emergence of the "Chinese Contemporary Art", from the outset, reflect and "85 Art" distinct cultural identity and ethos. Chinese avant-garde artists of this period the first differentiation "exodus abroad" and "stay local," the two groups. "Overseas" Artists quickly into the Western system of conceptual art, the differences between China and the Western concept of the social, historical, cultural and other aspects become their unique artistic resources. "Local" artists are struggling to make the own "contemporary metamorphosis." From the "Political Pop", "conceptual art", "female art" to "Gaudy Art", "new painting", the nineties is a trend after another period. And cultural interest in the West "poststructuralist" since "contemporary culture" as artists learn to follow the object is also focused on the Pop Art of the West since the "post-modern art." It was also during this period, the Chinese contemporary art began to reflect the distinctive "Chinese characteristics": the traditional ideas and the passion of the state ideology of alienation, highly sensitive to the unique period of rapid transformation of social and psychological symptoms, created by the complex political sentiment, a strong sense of social criticism and joking or cynical language or accent posed "after 89 Art."

Three

By the late nineties, the development path of China's contemporary art there is a clear change. The first is based on traditional ideas of deconstruction and mainstream ideology "Chinese characteristics" based on the emergence of internal crisis. By this time, traditional values and an almost complete failure of the mainstream ideology in social life, the great social and psychological tension by personal conflict between the spiritual world and ideology, transferred to individual conscience and moral opposition nothingness between fetishism. Meanwhile, the rapid economic growth and the interests of the game between the Western countries, the national sentiment rising, civil and official gradually bridge the psychological gap, the government has also relaxed the art of prevention and control. These gradually dissolves the "post-89 art" political complex. In addition, in terms of the evolution process of art itself, after years of "post-modern hot" to the turn of the century, when the gap between China and the West on the artistic concept of getting smaller and smaller, even though the individual artists will still be able to effectively from the "Western" absorption of beneficial nutrients, but on the whole, Western contemporary art has been difficult in China inspire new artistic trends.

It was at this time, Chinese younger generation of artists has grown up. Critics have tried all sorts of different concepts describe these stocks clutter youthful artistic trends, to the last, with a clear time stamp of "70 Arts" became the title of the convention, though which also contains some of the late sixties and eight generation born in the early decades of the artist. This concept shows that the focus of Chinese contemporary art has moved from the reality of contemporary art and social relations, Chinese contemporary art's relationship with the West, transferred to the "generational difference" between generations of Chinese contemporary artists.

"Intergenerational differences," focused on three aspects: First, the young artists on the "avant-garde concept" reactionary. And Western predecessors strongly pursue "Update art" is different from "70" appear to be more open form of the language in the selection, which is a prominent phenomenon of painting, sculpture such "outdated" art form of return. Of course, they do not return to those pure classic style, but in their own way to complete a personal artistic language "contemporary transformation." Second, the "70" in the spirit of the topic turned to the inner world of the individual to explore the relationship between the depth of the individual and society. They do not have a strong senior political complex and critical awareness of social dualism experience deeper self-soul dilemma. The third is the difference between lyrical gesture. They both refused to "85 Art" sat enlightenment stance, but also to avoid "post-89 art" joking, ironic tone, and the choice of a variety of youth cynical, superficial, narrative tone of the game

So far, "70 Art" concept covers the inner experience and artistic taste are obvious differences between the three batches of the artist at least. Most famous in the first turn of the century, their art and the art of the nineties tend to have a significant association - where different artists, this association were reflected positive impact or deliberate opposition - but with the "post-89 Art "The difference is that they mostly turned to spiritual themes passion for personal survival tragedy distinctive experience from the standpoint of social criticism. The second batch of "new cartoon" artists were born in the early 1970s in the late 1980s. As the growth of the visual environment in the animation, and cartoon subculture has a unique way of extraordinary emotional understanding and fascination of a generation, they are under the influence of Europe and Japan, cartoon art, accurately find himself sensitive, intense and they deliberately superficial tone of youth. The third is the peers' new cartoon "artists, they tried to go beyond the" new cartoon "persistent tone of youth while trying all sorts of complicated language in the game, re-veiled, to express their integration into the tortuous history of the pitch time and space social experience of art.

Four

"Dawn - New Art from China" is invited eight (group), "70" artists. Among them, in addition to Li opened a "new cartoon" on behalf of artists, other people belong to the third. Although they mostly in painting and sculpture as a major art form - Some artists also doubles as a device and video art - but their art is not only obvious difference between those classic art style, but also rarely have similarities between each other. This is because their art is a complex inner experience of individuals "deep expression" at the core of China's unique in-depth spiritual reality collide, they not only completed the personal transformation of traditional art forms, but also from their different perspectives, jointly presented the Chinese younger generation complex spiritual world.

In eight (group) artists, Li opened and UNMASK emphasis on direct care of personal inner world. Li opened around 2005 rise of important representatives of the "new Cartoon Generation", from 2001 to the present, those tangled in a strong desire to vent, self-digestion and lower self mask childish game, he not only create a unique new generation mind portrait, also implies a shift from mere teenager mind increasingly gloomy life experience psychological process. UNMASK art is the appearance of a new generation of fashion "urban population" lonely, sad, delicate grasp narcissistic inner world. Although the use of a sculpture of this traditional art form, but light, glamorous, gorgeous fashion visual presentation was built on the concept of visual language.

Chen Yujun and Wang Yabin also concerned about the emotional experience of the individual artist. Their art has many similarities: both start from abstract art, are turning to the individual's spiritual world of poetic experience, in their inner experience are implicit in the historical feelings of desolation. However, their language style was very different: Chen Yujun elegant, timeless, permeated with the decline of civilization has been obsessed; Wang Yabin of unadorned, sad, steeped in between is lost youthful feelings of complex feelings. These differences from the personal perspective: Chen Yujun migratory unique family history for clues, lamented the decline of a civilization, the poetically observe abrupt exposure "contemporary process" contemporary human mind wandering; WANG Ya-bin is based on the adult "eye of the vicissitudes of life", and lost in the absurd reality of the emotional world of the quiet visits.

Li Qing and Yuan Yuan's art is a direct collision with the absurd reality. Li Qing pairwise created a unique form of painting, in a simple online game for parody, he not only keen to reveal hidden in everyday situations of social paradox, also borrowed from this one kind superficial characteristics of the intellectual, social and psychological atmosphere in the extreme seriousness of the teaching metaphor weary gesture, find a new serious, deep and passionate way of social criticism. Glance, Yuan Yuan's recent works, it seems only realistic language with a very subtle copied considerable visual appeal on certain types of Internet images, but both for the "scene" choice - Embassy closed iron door, covered with barbed wire in the streets, in the circus cages, playgrounds, etc. - or on the "iron net" deliberately stressed in, you can see that he implied a complex social and psychological conflicts of the real world strong concern.

Art similarities Wang Yue and Wu Di is that he \ their works seem to have a more purely visual game features. Wang Yue of art is reminiscent of minimalist art; Wu Di eclectic visual forms, but also makes her very easy to be seen as excessive obsession with visual logic artist. However, the logic behind the seemingly purely visual, are implied he \ complex changes their inner experience. From "terrazzo" to "life paint", to the recent "Untitled", Wang Yue art gone from sensitive personal state of mind, to a heavy feeling of life, to the complex changes in the spiritual reality of contemporary social tragedy experience; and Wu Di unwarranted changes in visual form behind, also implies the absurd reality of life and personal tragedy intense spiritual struggles of women artists are very sensitive but dignified inner freedom to travel.

Five

Since the 1990s, the Chinese contemporary art began to frequent appearances in the international arena. In the nearly two decades of time, the Chinese contemporary art to the international forces are mainly four: first, the Chinese are interested in contemporary art dealers and settlers China Overseas Westerners, represent overseas commercial capital; followed some international curators and museum curators, they began to push the Chinese artists to the international exhibition platform; third force is the Chinese government, is a typical sign of China Pavilion at the Venice Biennale; fourth force is the Chinese folk art capital. But until now, the Western understanding of Chinese contemporary art is still quite one-sided, piecemeal. This is because different footing driving force varies: Westerners focus on human rights and cultural otherness perspective, China is in the official selection of the state ideology through art screening, Chinese folk art capital

Still in the launch general, heterogeneous "Chinese face" to promote individual artists and sporadic primary stage, neither a stable platform, but also a lack of systematic academic planning.

Compared with the chaos of promotion way, the bigger question is ambiguous value judgments. In China "west seeking Law" cultural trends, always there opposing cultural camps, each ebb and flow and integration, the dominant cultural mood in different periods: the spread of Buddhism and the holding period is a Buddhist who "foreign barbarians big defense" opposition between conservative ideas; Republic of China is "Westernization winner" and reinterpretation of Western cultural values of traditional culture, "the quintessence of those" among the opposition; eighties "bourgeois liberalization" and "socialism "since the new century is the" contemporary culture "and" National. "Chinese culture in the nineties mood "post-modernism" in recent years, transferred to the "Chinese culture." The problem is, in the present, opposition parties are questioning the "Chinese Contemporary Art," the ultimate value. In the "State School" where Chinese contemporary art is "not our kind" of cultural otherness, for the enlightenment of authority and nineties contemporary cultural elite eighties, the Chinese contemporary art eventually nondescript contemporary Western art "secondary products."

However, the need to recognize that China is in fact the current "culture secondary period." With in-depth understanding of the plight of the West and the West's own deep-rooted cultural otherness vision, with the deterioration of the Western financial crisis, the rapid growth of China's economy, the expansion of the national