Chinese

Contemporary Art

10 things you

should know

By Melissa Chiu Director, Society Museum

Nearly ten years ago when I first began researching Chinese contemporary art, I presented a research paper, which eventually became my PhD dissertation, to my professor. She greeted it with interest but expressed serious reservations about its future, asking how I could undertake research in an area that was not yet defined by scholarship. It was true, when I first visited in 1992 there were few books on the subject and the major international exhibitions of had not yet happened. Yet, I persisted, first writing essays for art magazines and then conducting the research that led to my degree. Today, of course, not a week goes by without a major article on the rise of Chinese art here in the United States. The auction records have bestowed value on art works few artists would ever have dreamed of when the works were created. Collectors, curators, and dealers have a new interest in Chinese contemporary art. The following ten points provide a brief introduction to the main issues in Chinese contemporary art today, especially in regards to its reception here in the United States.

I. Chinese contemporary art has a twenty-five-year history. Contrary to reports that Chinese contemporary art is only a few years old—based in part on the establishment of the secondary auction market nearly two years ago—it has at least a twenty-five year history. It all began when Deng Xiaoping declared his Open Door Policy in 1979, allowing for greater economic, social, and ultimately, cultural freedoms. For artists this meant access to information about foreign art movements for the first time. The 1980s were characterized by a frenetic experimentation in different art forms and styles as far ranging as Post-Impressionism and Dada-inspired performance. Across the country, artists banded together to form artist groups and to show their work in unconventional public spaces. This decade and the period came to an end with the China/Avant-Garde exhibition at the National Art Gallery

I2| The International Aslan Art Fair Rong Rong East Village No. 70 1994 Black and White Photograph 16 x 23 inches Courtesy of Chambers Fine Art

in Beijing, months before the Tiananmen crackdown on June 4, 1989. Following this, government pressure was placed on art schools and museums to prevent artists from showing their work in public spaces. Artists continued to make and show their work in the private space of their studios and homes, giving rise to “apartment art," or small-scale showings of performance and installation art. Some artists settled on the outskirts of Beijing and created an artist community called East Village, named after New York's East Village. The first international exhibitions of Chinese contemporary art held in , Berlin, and gave rise to many more exhibitions and to the international recognition of Chinese artists throughout the 1990s. Political Pop and Cynical Realism were artistic styles that attracted great attention. Although the 1990s can be characterized by official attempts to quell contemporary artists and their work, in 2000 a palpable change occurred. This year marked the first internationally-focussed Biennale heralding the return of some key artists and curators working in the diaspora, and an official exhibition in which saw the Chinese government select experimental art practices for national representation. This policy change culminated in the China pavilion at the in 2005, curated by overseas artist Cai Guo-Qiang, and included leading experimental artists living in China. Today the Chinese art scene has expanded to include cities beyond Beijing and artists are working in many diverse media.

2. Political Pop and Cynical Realism are among the many styles or practices in China today. Certainly some of the best-known Chinese artists today—, , Fang Lijun, and —produce in two recognizable styles: Political Pop and Cynical Realism. Their works first found a voice in the early 1990s in international exhibitions and are now some of the most valuable pieces in the marketplace. The lure of these paintings, especially

The International Asian Art Fair | 13 Zhang Xiaogang Bloodline Family 2004-2005 Oil on canvas 280 x 400 cm Private collection Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor

for Western collectors, is the artist's use of corporate logos and uncertain self-portraits in their works, evidence of a cultural and social transition from a communist ideology to a consumer- oriented society. The works have a place in Chinese art history but they represent just one segment of the artistic community. To see these four artists as the sum total of Chinese contemporary art would be incorrect and limited, much like saying that contemporary art in the United States was Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol. While influential figures and by far some of China's most successful artists, they are not the only artists to produce meaningful works in a Chinese context.

3. The gallery/dealer system is a new development with a history of at least fifteen years. One of the first galleries established in China was Red Gate Gallery in Beijing fifteen years ago, followed five years later by ShanghART in Shanghai. Both galleries sold mostly to expatriates, often foreign-service personnel looking for mementos of their stay in China. Both galleries began their life in exclusive hotels where they had ready access to a clientele and a certain degree of security, since it was illegal for foreigners to conduct business as sole proprietors, they had to be a joint venture. Today, neither of the galleries is located in hotels. Red Gate Gallery moved to a historic building, the Dongbianmen, while ShanghART is located in the gallery district known by its address, Mo Gan Shan Lu. The proliferation of galleries in China is one indication of the growth of the art industry. Mo Gan Shan Lu is one of numerous gallery districts including 798 and the Liquor Factory in Beijing and Tank Loft in . Within these districts foreign galleries have begun to make their mark; examples include London-based Chinese Contemporary, Italian-based Galleria Continua, and Beijing Tokyo Art Projects, all at 798 and Arario at the Liquor Factory. Other galleries have sought local partnerships such as

Ml The International Asian Art Fair Wang Guangyi Great Castigation Series: Coca Cola 1993 Oil on canvas 200 x 200 cm The Farber Collec­ tion, New York

Max Protetch Gallery and Beijing Commune, as well as Jack Tilton’s residency space in Tongxian County. Many other galleries are run by Chinese dealers who sell to a growing number of local collectors. The Shanghai Gallery of Art at Three on the Bund in Shanghai is one of the best examples of this. In general, Chinese artists do not have exclusive arrangements with galleries but prefer to consign their works and deal directly from their studio. There are however a handful of artists, mostly of a younger generation, who see the benefits of exclusive gallery representation. More Chinese artists are also finding representation in overseas galleries, especially in New York. In recent months we have seen Chinese artists hold solo exhibitions at galleries such as Lomband-Freid Projects, Sperone Westwater; Sara Meltzer Gallery, and Marion Goodman Gallery, while some galleries show Chinese artists almost exclusively including Goedhuis Contemporary, Chambers Fine Art, and Ethan Cohen Fine Arts.

4. Government censorship of experimental art is not a major concern for Chinese artists working today. Following June 4, 1989 there was a great deal of pressure placed upon artists, art schools, and museums to stop the creation, exhibition, and promotion of experimental practices that had found such popularity throughout the 1980s. Censorship for Chinese artists meant that they were not able to exhibit their work at the National Art Museum of China and other state-run museums, and they could be arrested and jailed for a short period if their work attracted the attention of the police. This was especially important to performance artists for whom nudity was an integral part of their practice. Artists such a Ma Liuming found himself in this position after his neighbours reported him to the authorities. Throughout the 1990s there were noteworthy occasions of exhibitions being staged and promptly closed by the authorities.

The International Aslan Art Fair | 15 Excuse me sir, can you tell me how to get to the ? 2001 Mixed media, computer monitors Commissioned by the Asia Society Museum Photograph by Frank Oudeman

Such activity was inconsistent and largely dependent on when and where the exhibition was held. What developed were brief exhibitions, sometimes lasting for hours or a few days, in private homes and studios. At this time, censorship was less about the subject matter since few works were overtly political and more about the fact that it was an unsanctioned event. These sporadic incidents of censorship have been the subject of much discussion on Chinese art and were the preoccupation of critics, curators, and artists throughout the 1990s. Today such occurrences are far fewer and experimental contemporary art can be seen in major museums including the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, Shanghai Art Museum in Shanghai, and Guangdong Museum of Art in .

5. The diasporic communities of Chinese artists who left in the late 1980s and 1990s have played an important and increasingly influential role in China. For a time the Chinese art world was divided into those living in the West and those who remained behind in Mainland China. Artists who had chosen to leave for exhibition or residency opportunities found ways to stay in their adopted countries such as the United States, , and France. These artists comprised a community largely in exile, prevented from returning to China. However all of this changed in the late 1990s with the relaxation on restrictions of travel back to China and the growing acceptance of Chinese experimental art practices that culminated in the Shanghai Biennale, curated by then -based curator , which included the work of artist Huang Yong Ping. It was the first time Huang had returned to China since leaving in 1989. Cai Guo-Qiang held a solo exhibition of his work at the Shanghai Art Museum in 2002 after being invited to create the pyrotechnic display for the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation (APEC)

161 The International Aslan Art Fair Catalogue for "Inside Out: New Chinese Art” 1998 Asia Society and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Summit. While some Chinese artists returned to China to show their work, others such as , Wang Gongxin, Lin Tianmiao, and Wang Zhiyuan returned to China to live. There is more fluidity than ever before between the diasporic community and the Mainland Chinese community with artists travelling back and forth to create and exhibit their work.

6. Contemporary art museums are being developed across China; most are private initiatives with diverse funding structures. Museums are one of the greatest areas of growth in China. One of the first major initiatives founded in 2005 was the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, funded by the Samuel Kung Foundation. This museum lays claim to being the first independently operated museum of contemporary art in the country. Others such as the Today Art Museum in Beijing is also independently operated and funded. It was inaugurated in 2006 with a solo exhibition of Fang Lijun's works. Other planned museums include the Beijing's Museum of Contemporary Art and a museum founded by collector Guy Ullens. All are private enterprises funded by corporations. While some have intentions to assemble collections they have begun as exhibition spaces to show art works. Chinese art collector Guan Yi has a warehouse to hold his collection and plans to build another complex for his video art collection. Local districts are also establishing their own museums, with one of the first being the Song Zhuang Art Museum, which has Li Xianting as its adviser. Successful artists have plans to open their own museums in China to show their work such as artist couples and Yin Xiuzhen as well as Lin Tianmiao and Wang Gongxin. Other models include Universal Studios, the equivalent of an alternative art space, and the Long March Space at 798, which holds exhibitions and projects inside and outside China.

The International Asian Art Fair | 17 Cao Fei My Future is Not a Dream 02 2006 digital c-print 471^x59 inches Courtesy of the artist and Lombard-Freid Projects

7. The most substantial collections of Chinese contemporary art are outside China. In recent years, a number of collectors in Europe and the United States have assembled collections of important works by Chinese artists. In Europe, Uli Sigg and Guy Ullens led the way by collecting early works, well before many even considered Chinese contemporary art a field of interest. In this time both these collectors have staged museum exhibitions of their holdings. Sigg created an art prize in China while Ullens established a foundation that supports the presentation of Chinese contemporary art. During the 1990s, under the leadership of curator and artist Zheng Shengtian, the Annie Wong Art Foundation also collected important works especially those of overseas Chinese artists. More recently, American collectors such as Kent Logan and Howard Farber collected first from the Asia Society's Inside Out exhibition while others such as Eloisa Haudenschild assembled a collection of photography and video mostly focussed on Shanghai artists. There are also a small number of contemporary art collectors in China. Most notable is Guan Yi who has gained some international attention as one of the few collectors in China having spoken at a panel discussion at Art Basel and featured in the New York Times.

8. The study and appreciation of contemporary Chinese art has been adopted by key educational institutions in China. During the 1980s, much of the writing on experimental art was documented in magazines in China and characterized by lively debate between different opinions on issues. Following 1989, art magazines were not able to continue in this way since many of the editors were marginalized or forced out of their positions. Writing on Chinese art shifted to an international forum of large-scale exhibitions in European and American museums. Towards the end of the 1990s, Chinese writers began to produce historical documents that

I8| The International Asian Art Fair Cao Fei My Future is Not a Dream 03 2006 digital c-print 47 'A x 59 inches Courtesy of the artist and Lombard-Freid

provided an account of the experimental art movement. Concurrently, in the United States, two books published to coincide with the exhibitions Inside Out and Transience have provided the foundation for the study of Chinese art in the United States. In more recent years, attempts have been made to assemble archives of material, especially ephemera, holdings of which can be seen at the Asia Art Archives in Hong Kong and the contemporary archives at Peking University in Beijing. Other developments include the teaching of experimental art at academies, which in recent years has undergone a transformation with the embrace of experimental practices such as installation, video, and performance art. The National Art Academy in Hangzhou, for example, has established the Total Art Department which reflects an interdisciplinary approach that encourages experimentation by younger artists. Artist Qiu Zhijie heads this department while others on the faculty including Gao Shiming, Zhang Peili, and Geng Jianyi have also implemented change.

9. A market has been established for Chinese contemporary art with record-breaking prices. The secondary market for Chinese contemporary art began nearly two years ago with the first record-breaking sale in Hong Kong. Although Christie's had held an Asian Avant-Garde sale in London in 1998, the more recent auctions marked the interest of a new group of collectors. In this time, Sotheby's held its first Asian Contemporary sale in New York with a taking of $ 13 million. This sale and subsequent sales at Christie's in Hong Kong have established Chinese art as a market with international standing. For many artists, the market for their work took them by complete surprise since many had produced works before there was even a market. This is especially the case for the early performance artists whose photographic documentation

The International Asian Art Fair | 19 Chen Qiulin Ellisis's Series No.2 2002 photograph 32)4 x 48% inches, « • • i• 82.9 x 122.2 cm - VST'Bftf framed edition of 8Projects

became a commodity with ensuing arguments over authorship. Auctions in China are also setting records, but there are different interests in China. While one can identify Zhang Xiaogang and Wang Guangyi as the top-reaching artists in New York sales, Chen Danqing and Liu Xiaodong have set records in Chinese sales.

10. The next generation of artists are creating works very different from a previous generation whose concerns were the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution and artistic freedoms. It is harder now to identify key trends and art movements than it was twenty years ago in China, when there were fewer artists and Beijing was the undisputed center of the art world. With all of the changes described above, the one certain thing is the increasing internationalization of Chinese art. There are more opportunities for Chinese artists and curators than ever before. They do not have to fight against hostility and censorship in their home country but rather face the same challenges as artists and curators everywhere. While there are few senior female artists in China who have reputations equal to their male counterparts, a younger generation of female artists including Cao Fei and Chen Qiulin have found support. Artists across the country are creating works about diverse issues in media that ranges from and photography to installation and video art. This signals a bright future for contemporary art in China.

Melissa Chiu is Director, Asia Society Museum in New York When she was appointed Curator of Asian Contemporary Ait at Asia Society in 2001 she was the first to hold this position in the United States. Previously, she was Founding Director of the Asia- Australia Arts Center in Sydney, the first non-profit, multi-disciplinary center in the country to present an ongoing exhibition program of Asian contemporary art. She has taught at Rhode Island School of Design, lectured at numerous American universities and presented papers at international symposia. She is Guest Editor for The Grove Dictionary of Art chapter on Asian contemporary art by Oxford University Press. Her PhD was awarded for research on contemporary Chinese art and in 2001 she received a Getty Curatonal Research Fellowship.

20| The International Asian Art Fair