Contemporary Chinese Art

Okay, so contemporary Chinese Art has been on the rise for the greater part of a decade, so I'm not announcing anything new, but there is really something special about contemporary Chinese art. I find it subjective yet at the same time universal, it begs for your attention and offers an insight into one of the most fascinating countries in the world. Only to have come out of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, to become a major world player in both consumption and production, epitomising globalisation, moving from agrarian to urban all in a few decades is amazing. Think about how long it look for the shift from agriculture to industrialisation in the UK?

I feel inspired when I see some of these images, through the cultural, social and political aspects of the work, which I find awe-inspiring.

We were recently one of the media partners for Art Beijing, and today I received the catalogue (I must say that it's more of a book, a beautiful collection of artworks from the galleries), and coupled with my reading of Young Chinese Artists, published on Prestel (Ed Noe and Steiner), I feel like there is so much at stake here. In the arts world, we're in the middle of a major shift here. In find contemporary Chinese art challenging and provoking, and I like that.

If you haven't guessed, I'm currently working on a piece for the June/July issue of Aesthetica, on a pioneering young artist, called, Chen Ke. Her work is sombre, dark, lonely, and incredibly intriguing.

Check out the issue from the end of the month.

So, out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on Chinese contemporary art, how does it compare to other work being produced today?