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?

Finalists of 2008’s Aesthetica Creative Works Competition are enjoying further successes…Neale Howells at the John Martin Gallery

Neale Howells’s work is now showing at the John Martin Gallery in London as part of Storylines. Please visit http://www.jmlondon.com/pages/thumbnails/22314.html for further details.



Neale is wonderfully open in his conceptions of art. He says: “'What do you want from a piece of artwork...?' Well I believe imagination is an important component... perhaps a word that is rarely used to describe contemporary art these days but I believe a fundamental term for our mathematical artistic equations... what's the difference between these paintings and our current, most popular media form of pop video... nothing.. both carry the universal idents that we come to enjoy but not understand except with these works you really have a lot more to enjoy...'How do you judge a good bit of art...?' Well for me it's how many time you come back to view it.... “



The work that I help to do have quite often been thought of as graffiti art... I have disagreed with this because graffiti, real graffiti doesn't carry any aesthetics, I believe just the ability to say something... you can not help but be impressed though with some street art... especially when after a while it has deteriorated and worked over by others.... a bit like that poster over a poster that is peeling... graffiti art then becomes what it is, itself.... being part of 'storylines' at the john martin gallery this April gives the opportunity to view new paintings that carry the same ideas of the outside world, inside... how do you judge a good piece of art...? well for me its how many times you come back to view it...

http://www.jmlondon.com/pages/thumbnails/22314.html

Be the First to see New Independent Film!

Be the first to see new independent film; Aesthetica now hosting Film of the Month.

Visit the Aesthetica homepage to see our exciting new ‘Film of the Month’, the best new film as judged by high profile patrons including Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle. This is an opportunity to view new film created by the rising stars of tomorrow, as hand-picked by the leading talents of today.

Aesthetica continues to support independent film through partnership with Shooting People, an international networking organisation which recognises and promotes indie filmmaking. Shooting People’s 35,000 members make and upload the higgest quality independent films. Each month, these films are viewed and rated by the members, creating a shortlist of three. These are then sent to one of Shooting People’s high-profile patrons, who give a personal review of each of the three, and choose the ‘Film of the Month’.

This month’s winning film has been chosen by Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me). Picking Trevor Hardy’s animation Pushkin, Spurlock comments: "This film is really, really good, extremely impressive. Give this guy a TV show, quick! He could be the next Nick Park. It's so well done, so professional."

Future judges include Danny Boyle (Dir. Slumdog Millionaire), Martha Fiennes (Dir. Onegin; Chromophobia), Asif Kapadia (Dir. Far North), Stuart Beattie (Scr. Australia), and Nick Park (Dir. Chicken Run; Wallace & Gromit).

At Aesthetica magazine, we are dedicated to encouraging independent filmmakers and filmmaking. In 2008/9, Aesthetica has worked with the following film festivals in the UK and abroad: Sundance Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, Glasgow Film Festival, Leeds International Film Festival, Flatpack Birmingham, Motiroti and Bradford International Film Festival. The forthcoming April/May 2009 issue of Aesthetica features a guide to the most innovative and exciting film festivals from around the globe.

To see the current Film of the Month, please visit www.aestheticamagazine.com

Further details of our partner organisation, Shooting People, can be found at www.shootingpeople.org
I hope you find a moment to check out this innovative new addition to the Aesthetica homepage: Pushkin is well worth a look!

Have a great week
Sam