Category Archives: avant-garde

Here We Go Again: Naked People for Ai Weiwei

Posted on November 22, 2011 by

The Shanghaiist reports that a movement is afoot to garner more support for Ai by posting nude pictures ala the one above.  The list of such supporters is increasingly interesting, as described by Shanghaiist: Activists who have posted their nude … Continue reading →

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Naked Chinese (in literature and art)

Posted on June 28, 2011 by

Yang Feiyun 杨飞云 Nude in Front of Canvas Oil on canvas, 100 x 83 cm, 1988 Ai Weiwei’s forays into nudity have me thinking of late about nudity in Chinese art and literature. In fact, I’m reminiscing a bit back … Continue reading →

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Zhong Biao’s “Complex”

Posted on May 16, 2011 by

Here is the one completely abstract image from Zhong’s recent exhibition.  The element of abstract expression in Zhong’s work is particularly interesting given the acute realism of the better part of his art.  The realism, a result of his use … Continue reading →

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Wu Yuren

Posted on December 22, 2010 by

If its any consolation to Liu Xiaobo (though I expect its not), he is in good company as so many are locked up in Chinese prisons on trumped up charges. In this case, I’m thinking of Wu Yuren 吴玉仁 , … Continue reading →

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798 Website

Posted on December 19, 2010 by

image from ArtSignal For the few readers not already aware, the 798 Art District in Beijing is wonderful thing to behold, by which I mean a location in China which brings about jaw-dropped wonder.  The sheer scale of the installation, … Continue reading →

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Zhong Biao’s recent work

Posted on December 12, 2010 by

I was recently sent a collection of images which are part of a compilation of Zhong Biao’s recent work, no doubt in conjunction with an upcoming showing (I have yet to confirm this). His most recent (2010) works are demonstrating … Continue reading →

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There’s that line between “activist” and “aritst”?

Posted on December 10, 2010 by

Quite by accident it would appear that two major strands of this blog have intersected: 8 days ago Ai Weiwei was on his way to attend the Liu Xiaobo Nobel Awards ceremony when he was detained at the Beijing airport. … Continue reading →

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Ai Weiwei and the “River Crab”

Posted on November 23, 2010 by

This man has been busy.  It is increasingly clear that Ai is a one-man force for change in China, a force which is only marginally rooted in contemporary Chinese art. But as an artist, Ai is certainly adept at metaphor, … Continue reading →

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Rhetoric 修辞 Exhibition at 798 in Beijing

Posted on October 3, 2010 by

Convergence “Rhetoric ： paintings by contemporary poets” 修辭： 當代詩人畫展 One of the major goals of my on-going project is to observe ways in which contemporary Chinese visual art and poetry work together. Demonstrating that this topic is relevant to prominent … Continue reading →

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China Avant-garde

Posted on July 20, 2010 by

The title of this blog is itself worthy of discussion.  As Wu Hung, noted scholar of Chinese art classical and modern/contemporary, observed over a decade ago, the term “avant-garde” is not ideal for discussing contemporary Chinese artistic matters.  Wu opts … Continue reading →

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