China Now
dal 26/9/2007 al 26/1/2008
Segnalato da
26/9/2007
China Now
Cobra Museum, Amstelveen
Art in a time of change. An extensive look at Chinese art of today. A special feature of this exhibition is that it has been compiled by Feng Boyi, one of the first to curate shows of Chinese avant-garde art. He has selected more than 75 works by 40 different artists; many of these works come from the Essl Museum in Vienna. Recent artwork direct from China supplements this exhibition.
Art in a time of change
curated by Feng Boyi
Arresting and challenging, the exhibition China Now offer an extensive look at Chinese art of today. A special feature of this exhibition is that it has been compiled by Feng Boyi, one of the first to curate shows of Chinese avant-garde art. He has selected more than 75 works by 40 different artists; many of these works come from the Essl Museum in Vienna. Recent artwork direct from China supplements this exhibition. China Now will run from 29 September 2007 to 27 January 2008.
Chinese avant-garde
Today, contemporary Chinese art is enjoying unprecedented popularity. Record-breaking prices are being paid at art auctions. Merely a matter of hype? There seems to be more at hand – if we consider the Chinese avant-garde and contemporary art now being shown at large exhibitions world-wide. The Cobra Museum of Modern Art would like to explore this phenomenon: Who are these artists? What developments can be seen through their work? What exactly is going on? Why?
The exhibition is constructed around seven themes, both political and poetic. With these as the starting point, the work of several generations of Chinese artists is presented – beginning with the early 1990s and running up to now. The themes illustrate the diversity of the art being created in China today. A new voice can be heard at the Cobra Museum – that of China Now.
The exhibition presents art of a wide variety, ranging from painting and images to installations, photographs and new media. Almost all the most eminent artists of today’s China are represented with one or more works. Famous names such as Fang Lijun, Yue Minjun and Zhang Xiaogang, but also new stars like Liu Jianhua and Yin Xiuzhen. Work by the latter is presently creating an uproar at the Venice Biennial.
Social involvement
Chinese artists of today find themselves in a period of transition and transformation. They are grappling with issues such as what attitude to adopt both towards traditional Chinese art and the rapidly-changing society in which they live. Powerful works of art are born out of their dilemmas – work reminiscent of the energetic social involvement of the European CoBrA artists.
With the exhibition China Now the Cobra Museum of Modern Art offers visitors the opportunity to consider both these artistic movements (CoBrA and China) in one and the same museum. Arising out of very different circumstances, both are characterized by their involvement in the social and political changes of their time, leading to experimentation and development of new visual languages.
Cobra Museum
Sandbergplein 1 - Amsterdam