Contemporary Chinese Art

Was at an art gallery the night before and had an interesting chat with the gallery manager and an artist. The gallery carried works largely by Chinese artists and I just had to raise the subject that all their themes are by and large, the same: capitalism and mao. I think in the distant future, art historians will look back on this movement and call it "China-ism" - a period of time where Chinese artists either condemn or celebrate their newly found wealth and the proliferation of Mao.

Like many of the great movements of the past, in the West, artists of diverse skills and calibre have come to document the state of society around them. The Dadaists repulsed war. The Futurists were bullish about technology. Today, Chinese artists by their shear influence of each other have come to document what is happening to them immediately: China has become a get-rich-fast society, a society where you build up power and forget about everyone else.



Sexy women in seductive poses, posed with capitalist luxury goods. Medieval body armor pasted with dollar bills. Dark and ominous landscapes filled with luxury goods.

Look at these pieces by Feng Zheng Jie's famous wonky eyed women:




Disturbing aren't they? But at the same time his work try to capture the beauty of a good looking woman. What is he trying to say? Various interpretations, but there is a Chinese phrase that goes "Dong Jiang Xi Wang" - loosely translated this says, "the eyes look both east and west". In normal circumstance, it describes a person who's looking around for something. In this context, it can mean that a person is scanning her environment, scrutinizing the men, itching for a chance at seducing some wealth. (I'm not saying that this IS the interpretation, but it's a suggestion).

There is lot's to say about this new "China-ism". As yet, it's still very early in the movement (if there's a movement at all). But if you're a collector or investor, I'd say it's worth your money - as I believe that sometime in the future, art historians will recognize this as a period of time that's important to art history.