Chinese Contemporary Art- Identity and Transformation[Bohuslans Museum]

October 6, 2007 by Zhu Xiaolin
Filed under Gallery Events

Chinese Contemporary Art- Identity and Transformation” at Bohuslans Museum,Uddevalla,Sweden
Openning:22 September 2007
Duration: 22 Sep -25 Nov, 2007
Mao Xuhui,Luo Fei,Liu Lifen were invited to attend the opening ceremony.

Curators: Agneta von Zeipel, Asa Herrgard
Critics: Agneta von Zeipel, Asa Herrgard, Luo Fei
Artists: Chen Changwei, Chen Qiji, Guo Peng, Lei Yan, Liu Lifen, Liu Deng, Li Ji, Luo Fei, Mao Xuhui, Shen Qin, Sun Guojuan, Tao Jin, Wu Yiqiang, Xue Tao, Zhang Qiongfei, Zhao Guanghui

Organized by: Bohuslans Museum, Sweden and TCG Nordica Gallery,China

Curator’s statement

Contemporary Chinese Art- Identity and Change is an exhibition that has originally been put together for an exhibition tour in Sweden that will start during the autumn 2007 at Art Gallery at Bohuslans Museum in Uddevalla. The purpose is to give a brief introduction of what Chinese contemporary art can be today to a Swedish public, and we are very pleased that the exhibition also will take place at TCG Nordica Gallery in Kunming during this summer.

The exhibition presents 16 Chinese artists, the majority of them is from the Yunnan province and educated at the University of Yunnan. We will meet all genres of visual art such as painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, ink, drawings and prints in this exhibition.

The Chinese society is rapidly changing from being an almost rural nation a few decades back, until today’s highly developed industrial and information- society. The once strictly planned Chinese economy is merging into a commercialized market economy, and it is all reflected upon the art scene. Chinese contemporary art is no longer part of a periphery, but plays a more important role on the global art scene.

One intention with the exhibition was to identify and summon up some of these reflections of this rapid change and to see how it is expressed among the artists from Yunnan. Landscape painting for instance, a classic subject, is still important, but formulated on a more observing and conceptual ground. The huge rebuilding of cities is also in focus, we see the growth of mega-cities, where commercialism replaces old traditions and history. Consumerism and the new economic era and modern life are also commented in a sometimes ironic manner.

Still it seems like the old symbols have a strong impact on daily life, and some artists are working with this heritage with a new and often humorous perspective. The body or nakedness in interaction with the landscape is also a subject that appears and expresses a kind of liberation gesture. The gender perspective is also present, where the female body is allowed to be represented in full scale and closely observed. Traditional artistic techniques like ink-wash painting are used but deals with contemporary reflections.

We are pleased to be able to offer visitors this opportunity of a powerful artistic experience. We should further like to thank all those who have contributed to bringing the exhibition to fruition.

Agneta von Zeipel, director/curator at Art Gallery at Bohuslans Museum
Asa Herrgard, artist and curator
2007 July