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Curated by Xin Dong Cheng "Beijing-Athens Contemporary Art from China" exhibition was held from May 12 through May 26, 2008 at the City of Athens Technopolis in Greece. This exhibition brought together forty of China's most important contemporary artists, working in the areas of painting, sculpture, film, video, design, installation, and multimedia, and it was one of the largest exhibitions of contemporary Chinese art that the world has seen to date.
Artists:
Cang Xin • Chen Wenling • Chang Xugong • Fang Lijun • Feng Zhengjie • Guo Wei •Hong Hao • Li Luming • Li Ji • Li Shan • Lin Tianmiao • Liu Jianhua • Lu Hao •Luo Brothers • Ma Liuming • Mao Xuhui • Pan Dehai • Qi Zhilong • Shao Fan • Shi Jianmin •Sui Jianguo • Shi Xinning • Song Yonghong • Tang Zhigang • Wang Guangyi •Wang Gongxin • Wang Ziwei • Wang Ningde • Wu Mingzhong • Xue Song • Yan Lei •Yang Shaobin • Yang Qian • Yin Zhaoyang • Yue Minjun • Zhan Wang • Zhang Peili •Zeng Hao • Zhong Biao • Zhu Wei
"The first half of the twentieth century was a time of momentous change in Chinese society. The collapse of China's last Imperial dynasty was followed by China's first attempt at establishing a democratic Republic; however, this was soon undermined by the infighting and destabilization of the Warlord Era. Subsequently, the War of Resistance Against Japan and the mortal struggle between the Nationalists and the Communists finally culminated in the liberation of China under the leadership of Mao Zedong.
From the 1950s through the 1970s, Mao Zedong led a series of political movements designed to usher in a new utopian Communist society. The ten chaotic years of the Cultural Revolution, in particular, shook the foundations of Chinese society and the Chinese people. The economic reforms and opening of the 1980s further battered the Chinese psyche, letting in a tsunami of globalization with little or no warning. It was against this historical backdrop that a group of exceptional young contemporary Chinese artists emerged. Laboring under a variety of restrictions, they scrutinized the transformation of Chinese society and pondered the existential and material concerns of the Chinese people. Utilizing diverse artistic approaches,they attempted to give form to their insights about China's new social order and the place of the individual in the midst of such fundamental change.
This exhibition assembles forty of China's most representative contemporary artists, working in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, video, photography, and design. This is the first time that such an important exhibition has been shown in Greece. Of course, this show cannot include the full range of contemporary Chinese art. Rather, it offers a distillation of the best China has to offer, addressing the five main themes of Political Pop, Changing Identities, Urban Construction, Classical vs. Contemporary, and Consumer Society.
We hope that this exhibition will enable the Greek public to better understand contemporary Chinese art. Through these works, people from all walks of life may gain insight into the diversity of the Chinese people, the richness of Chinese culture, and the unfettered inner vitality that characterizes contemporary Chinese society".
Xin Dong Cheng, Curator
May, 2008
Beijing
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Exhibitions / XDC Projects
