Wall (History and Boundaries of Contemporary Chinese Art)

Author: Gao Minglu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: This book is a contemporary art history work with substantial historical materials and a unique methodology. The author attempts to integrate modernity studies with art history writing, proposing the "unity" characteristics of Chinese modernity and using the difference of Chinese modernity as a methodology. Based on the spatial concept of the "wall," it analyzes how Chinese modernity, as a spatial awareness, continuously constructs the history and boundaries of contemporary Chinese art. The book addresses many important issues in the study of contemporary Chinese art, such as how Chinese avant-garde art survives in the complex space of dual systems; how realistic art adjusts its representation philosophy in a rapidly changing society; how traditional symbols are repurposed for contemporary art spaces; how Chinese conceptual art integrates Zen Buddhism and anti-art theories to transcend the boundaries between art and life; how contemporary art "virtualizes" modern urban spectacles and their dislocations; and how to understand the cultural "marginalized" and "women's art" phenomena under global cultural impact.