China Radio International has posted an excellent discussion about recent trends in Chinese contemporary art, covering events like the Global Collecting Forum (held last month in Beijing) and the contemporary art exhibition held in conjunction with the Frankfurt Book Fair.

 

Transcript:

A: Welcome back to Listeners Garden. I’m LPC.

B: And I’m DS. The Global Collecting Forum 2009 was recently held in Beijing. This was the first time the annual high-level art conference had moved from its European base to a Chinese city.

B: With the aim of forming a bridge between West and East, the forum provided a good opportunity for Chinese artists to showcase themselves to the world’s top institutional and private collectors.

A: At the same time, China hosted a series of activities to promote its culture at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. One of the highlights was a Contemporary Chinese Art Exhibition. The display stimulated many foreign artists’ interest in contemporary Chinese art.

B: Meanwhile, a grand international contemporary art fair has ended in Shanghai, and a month-long contemporary Chinese art festival lowered its curtain in Beijing several days ago. Both events drew crowds of art lovers and treated them to a spectacular visual banquet on the latest developments in contemporary Chinese art.

A: Contemporary art is a rising trend in China’s cultural scene. This art is not just limited to a time period. It places more emphasis on new concepts of art, the innovative application of artistic techniques, and the bold employment of materials that goes beyond paper and canvas.

B: Contemporary Chinese art is generally believed to have begun 30 years ago. In September 1979, soon after the country initiated its reform and opening-up program, a group of experimental artists staged an open-air exhibition of avant-garde paintings and sculptures outside the National Art Museum in Beijing.

A: The art show was considered a great challenge to the conventional rules of art and public aesthetic standards. The artworks on view surprised almost every visitor with their bold, unorthodox expressions of artistic individualism. 

B: The momentous event pushed the bounds of artistic freedom in China and heralded the birth of contemporary Chinese art. Today some of these pioneering artists have gained international recognition.

A: The mid-1980s was considered a watershed in China’s contemporary art history. The period marked the emergence of a new wave of young Chinese artists who, by learning from the West, made intense artistic experiments. Their efforts paved the way for the global rise of contemporary Chinese art in the next decade.

B: Contemporary Chinese art thrived thanks to these artists’ painstaking explorations and brave attempts, which attracted great attention from the western art world. The West began to tap the potential of the Chinese art market in the 1990s. The western art gallery system was introduced; art fairs and auction houses continued to flourish; art districts blossomed in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai; and a large number of outstanding pieces have been snapped up by foreign collectors.

A: There are thousands of art galleries in Beijing. A fair number of them were founded by foreign art lovers. 

B: For art fans in Beijing, the 798 Art District in the city’s northeastern suburb is their favorite place to go since it houses a thriving community of artists. It has become a famous calling card for Chinese contemporary art.

A: The art district is often compared to New York’s SoHo area. It’s a haven for artists from all over the country and even abroad. They gather here to open galleries, individual studios and design workshops, and hold all kinds of art events. 

B: Contemporary Chinese art has become increasingly commercialized with the development of the art market. Just five years ago, contemporary artwork still generated little interest among Chinese collectors. But since 2005, it began to dominate the auction market for Chinese art and surprised many people with its soaring prices.

A: Like many other industries, the bullish contemporary art market has also taken a tumble because of the global economic downturn.

B: Despite the dropping prices and declining sales, many art experts believe the economic slowdown will give the fast-developing but overheated Chinese art market some time for self reflection and adjustment, so that it can develop in a more rational, systematic and sustainable way. 

A: China’s contemporary art market is still developing and immature. Although it’s met frustrations and confusion in the process, industry insiders remain optimistic and confident of its future. As China continues to grow stronger and nurture more talented artists, genuine collectors and art fans, the market is sure to recover from the hard times.

B: And China’s contemporary art market is expected to become more mature by learning through suffering.

Tags: Art, beijing, china, china radio international, chinese art, chinese contemporary art, contemporary chinese art, CRI English

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