Chinese Contemporary Art

The end of China’s Cultural Revolution and the decline of Mao’s radical state of regime in 1976 brought forth a new generation of artists who embraced western modern art. No longer forced to create art that serves political and propaganda purposes; the newfound freedom allowed many artists to experiment with western artistic languages and broke the boundaries of Chinese traditional art leading to the reinvention of Chinese constructions of art; marking the emergence of Chinese contemporary art.

In 2008, China was the second largest share of the contemporary art market in the western-dominated art industry (Zhang & Frazier, 2015). This signifies the evolution of Chinese contemporary art over the past decades. One of the clear evidence of the

While living in Japan from 1986 to 1995, he has experimented with the properties of gunpowder leading to the development of his signature explosive events. From masterpieces like “Bringing to Venice What Macro Polo Forgot” in 1995 to the “Borrowing Your Enemy’s Arrows” and in 1999. Cai Guo Qiang used Chinese elements and stories in his art which attracted many westerners who are interested in the Chinese culture. Cai Guo Qiang also played important roles in the contemporary art scenes globally, creating unique artworks that put China’s art on the global stage.

However, Cai Guo Qiang’s works are often criticized for being nationalistic and dismissed as a political sham deployed for profit and career progression (Cotter, 1998). This essay consequently explores the relationship between Cai Guo Qiang and politicc through the analysis of two of Cai Guo Qiang’s iconic works- Venice’s Rent Collection Courtyard (1999) and the Firework displays in Beijing Olympics (2008). This essay will also argue that despite the political elements in Cai Guo Qiang’s art, it does not necessarily equate these art pieces as

His use of political ideologies also serves as means to encourage people to reflect on China’s socialist past and reminds people of this significant period. Instead of having his art controlled by politics, Cao Guo Qiang managed to manipulate the use of politics as a stepping stone for him to spread his artistic principles of creating art that unifies the world. He shows us that political elements do not necessarily turn an art into a propaganda. Instead, this combination of politics and art is so much more powerful as it can promote a greater cause of tolerance and harmony of different cultures in the