Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Post-Tiān'ānmén
The disturbing events during and after June 1989 created artistic disillusionment with the
political situation in China and hope soured into cynicism. This attitude was reflected
through the 1990s in artworks permeated with feelings of loss, loneliness and social isola-
tion. Two of the most important Běijīng artists during this period of 'cynical realism' were
Yue Minjun and Fang Lijun.
Socialist realism has its roots in non-Chinese neo-classical art, the life-like canvases of
Jacques Louis David and, of course, the output of Soviet Union painters. Infused with polit-
ical symbolism and dripping with propaganda, it was produced on an industrial scale, with
mechanical rules governing content and style.
Experiments with American-style pop art were another reaction to the events of 1989.
Inspired by Warhol, some artists took symbols of socialist realism and transformed them
into kitschy visual commentary. Images of Mao appeared against floral backgrounds and
paintings of rosy-cheeked peasants and soldiers were interspersed with ads for Canon
cameras and Coca-Cola. Artists were not only responding to the tragedies of the
Tiān'ānmén protests but also to the rampant consumerism that was sweeping the country.
Indeed, reaction to the rapid modernisation of China has been a consistent theme of much
Běijīng art from the 1990s to the present day.
Throughout the 1990s, artists who felt marginalised from the cultural mainstream found
escape from political scrutiny by living together in ad hoc communes and setting up their
own exhibitions in non- official spaces outside of state-run institutions. Most artists relied
on the financial support of foreign buyers to continue working. Despite political pressure
from authorities, some artists began to receive international attention for their art, spark-
ing the beginning of a worldwide interest in and appetite for Chinese contemporary art. A
defining moment for artists was in 1999, when 20 Chinese artists were invited to particip-
ate in the Venice Biennale for the first time.
Chinese art's obsessive focus on contemporary socio-economic realities makes much
creativity from this period parochial and predictable, but more universal themes have be-
come apparent over recent years and the art climate in Běijīng has changed dramatically.
Many artists who left China in the 1990s have returned, setting up private studios and gal-
leries. Government censorship remains, but artists are branching out into other areas and
moving away from overtly political content and China-specific concerns.
With scores of private and state-run galleries, Běijīng is a fantastic city to witness the
changing face of contemporary Chinese art. While traditional Chinese art is still practised
