Contemporary Art China - Essl Collection

Contemporary Art in China
Yue Minjun, Free and Leisure 7, 2004
copyright Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung

The exhibition CHINA NOW, 15 September 06 – 28 January 07 is the first opportunity in Austria to compare the explosive potential of heterogeneous artistic approaches in China's contemporary art. At The Essl Collection, the independent curator and critic Feng Boyi, member of the China Artists Association, presents more than 100 works by 42 artists involving all contemporary arts media, including painting and photography as well as large-format installations and video.

The exhibition traces the most important developments of Chinese avant-garde art in seven thematically arranged galleries. Most of the works are owned by The Essl Collection. In the late 1990s, Karlheinz Essl started to explore Chinese art, and the works he acquired in recent years during his visits to artists' studios in Shanghai and Beijing form the backbone of the exhibition, supplemented by significant art loans from China and Europe.

CHINA NOW - Contemporary Art in Times of Change

Contemporary Chinese art is a very recent phenomenon. In the 1990s during the fundamental political and social changes, Chinese avant-garde artists embarked on the slow journey, marked by numerous setbacks, from underground artists to international shooting stars.

The artists engage in a critical and sometimes humorous reflection on the changes occurring in Chinese society, on capitalism, globalisation, the dichotomy between the masses and the individual, but also on Western art. Traditional elements of Chinese arts influence their work just as much as the symbols of long-practiced Socialist Realism.

The Seven Themes of the Exhibition:

by Yang Shaobin, Untitled, 1995
Contemporary Art in China
copyright Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung

Rebellious Sarcasm

During the time of changes in China, some artists broke out of the planned-economy system early on. They use rebellious derision to highlight the individuality of human beings and criticise the orthodox prevailing order. Artists such as Wang Guangyi or Wang Dajun ironically quote the Pop Art language of Chinese socialist propaganda posters and the aesthetic concepts of consumer society advertising. Fang Lijun's series of pictures of bald men and Yue Minjun's grinning figures use a humorous touch to put their finger on the vulnerable spots of Chinese society. Zhang Xiaogang's "Bloodline Series" is a reflection on family, memory and the importance of Chinese culture.

Destructive Urge

In the early 1990s, a group of mainly young artists start using new forms of expression. Broken passions and a very unspoilt, impulsive strength emerge from the oil paintings of Yang Shaobin, the photographs of Ai Weiwei and the actionist B/W photographs of performance artist Rong Rong.

Personal or Collective Experience and Memory

Personal and collective experiences and memories are the creative treasure chest from which artists such as Li Songsong, Hai Bo or the collaborative team Shao Yinong & Muchen take their inspiration. They assess current changes by comparing them with historical developments and thus demonstrate their own attitude towards these changes. We encounter deeply personal experiences, but also the collective experiences of a whole generation.

Reverberation of the City

by Zhang Bin, Fly, 2004
copyright Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung

In the cultural context of modern-day China, the "city" is increasingly turning into a focal point for artists. The process of urbanisation is not only considered as symbolic expression and material manifestation of the modernisation process in China, but also as a medium which accelerates the development of a new, humanist value system. For some artists such as Miao Xiaochun or Zhang Dali, the identification, reflection on and critique of this situation represents their artistic point of departure. The authentic, very direct descriptions and depictions of these artists, including Xiaouchun's photographic urban landscapes or Dali's comprehensive figural installations portray a modern landscape of the specifics of Chinese urbanisation.

Beautiful Chaos

The enthusiasm with which the Chinese pursue the ongoing changes is rooted in a new Chinese dream: every individual has the chance to be successful and use his or her skills to shape the future. This dream defines the present Chinese context: it is the result of an unprecedented process of change marked by contradictions and problems. Despite the problems, the new China is seething with vitality and optimism. It is not a stagnant system, but a vibrant, splendiferous chaos. Cases in point are the Chinese landscapes by Liu Wei - which consist of human limbs and behinds.

The Third Space

by Fang Lijun, Painting, 2004-9-30, 2004
copyright Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung

Chinese artists living abroad or working internationally, such as Qin Yufen and Xu Bing, create their work in a "border zone" between the culture of their home country China and their country of residence. If one considers China to be the "first" space and the foreign country as the "second" space, the border zone could be interpreted as a "third space" in between. These are cultural and visual experiences made by the artists who live or work abroad. In addition they gather experiences of great diversity when familiarising themselves with contemporary Western art.

Growing up and Individual Decision-Making

The personal creative approach and the artistic work of artists such as Chi Peng are representative of modern-day urban culture which has become part of mass culture. Their art is also symptomatic of the mental state of the new generation in China which is full of "good vibrations"; they typically do exactly what they want to achieve and are very frank in their expression of joy, pain, love and disgust. In a society shaped by market principles they are looking for creative options that are rooted in freedom. "Sprinting Forward", Peng's very dynamic series of photos of naked running people chased by red airplanes is an impressive case in point.

Essl Collection, Vienna
15 September 2006 - 28 January 2007

Press release and images by Essl Collection - edited by artelino.

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China Now - Contemporary Chinese Art from the Vienna Essl Collection

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