Last Saturday, we went to the Caochangdi contemporary art district in Beijing. There are galleries from many different countries, with both local and foreign artists. 798 is the most famous art district in Beijing, but it has become very commercial and largely run by the
government (which means that it it's art shows and artists' works are censored). However, Caochangdi is very new and has refused to receive government funding so that it can protect artistic freedom. They said government officials have come to some of their art shows and they have been censored in the past, but recently they have not censored any of their controversial art. However, there is still an uneasy feeling when they come around. At the Three Shadows art gallery they have the largest contemporary art library in China and it was about the size of my elementary school library. I think this partly reflects why this art district wants to stay free of government influence: they want to be able to grow and expand into a true contemporary art district that can address contemporary issues. (The first picture I really liked. It is a canvas painting depicting the Olympics. The color red, the Olympic mascots, symbol, and rings, and the actions of the swimmers all create a very active scene).
There were some really interesting works of art: There was a set of fiberglass life-size sculptures which embodied six conceptual themes: Paying Rent, Foot Washing, Rape, Oppressing, Dying a Martyr, and History Observed. There was one group of sculptures which showed the oppression of farmers through real and metaphoric means. I thought they were kind of grotesque at first but they grew on me by the end. (The picture I included depicts a farm boss grinding his workers into cornmeal, in short implying that he is sacrificing his workers health and working conditions to earn profits). I think the fact that the sculptures are so lifelike and yet very metaphorical is what really gets the message across.
Another artist, Xiong Wenyun, had a display called Ten Years of Moving Rainbows, which experiments with the use of subtle color in the environment. One of her moving rainbows was a motorcade of trucks with different colored tarps on the Sichuan-Tibetan highway. The way she used color to add emphasis to her photography combined "contemporary art, society, history, culture, local ecology, environmentalism, and activism". It was a really impressive display. (The picture here is the rainbows of color on different houses; she used colored tarps on doors).
government (which means that it it's art shows and artists' works are censored). However, Caochangdi is very new and has refused to receive government funding so that it can protect artistic freedom. They said government officials have come to some of their art shows and they have been censored in the past, but recently they have not censored any of their controversial art. However, there is still an uneasy feeling when they come around. At the Three Shadows art gallery they have the largest contemporary art library in China and it was about the size of my elementary school library. I think this partly reflects why this art district wants to stay free of government influence: they want to be able to grow and expand into a true contemporary art district that can address contemporary issues. (The first picture I really liked. It is a canvas painting depicting the Olympics. The color red, the Olympic mascots, symbol, and rings, and the actions of the swimmers all create a very active scene).
There were some really interesting works of art: There was a set of fiberglass life-size sculptures which embodied six conceptual themes: Paying Rent, Foot Washing, Rape, Oppressing, Dying a Martyr, and History Observed. There was one group of sculptures which showed the oppression of farmers through real and metaphoric means. I thought they were kind of grotesque at first but they grew on me by the end. (The picture I included depicts a farm boss grinding his workers into cornmeal, in short implying that he is sacrificing his workers health and working conditions to earn profits). I think the fact that the sculptures are so lifelike and yet very metaphorical is what really gets the message across.
Another artist, Xiong Wenyun, had a display called Ten Years of Moving Rainbows, which experiments with the use of subtle color in the environment. One of her moving rainbows was a motorcade of trucks with different colored tarps on the Sichuan-Tibetan highway. The way she used color to add emphasis to her photography combined "contemporary art, society, history, culture, local ecology, environmentalism, and activism". It was a really impressive display. (The picture here is the rainbows of color on different houses; she used colored tarps on doors).
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