Abstract:
Contemporary Chinese art has been through an early experimental time in the 1970s and 1980s. It has finally emerged into international attention in the 1990s and 2000s. There has been rapid growth and increased focus in the global art world. The booming Chinese economy drives contemporary Chinese art into the forefront of global art. In the past two decades, Chinese artists have made a significant change to a varied market economy. The scope and focus of Chinese art became surprising huge when what can be described as an awakening happened since 2004. The Western art world has raised the awareness of the power of the Chinese market, as Chinese artists’ works reach the price of multimillion dollars in the international market. In China, there are hundreds of new art galleries, 1600 auction houses, art fairs and growing numbers of private collectors of contemporary art. (I am going to explain the significance of that later.) This essay will raise discussion about contemporary Chinese art in the international art context, the conversation between contemporary Chinese art and international art, and how does contemporary Chinese art relate to traditional culture. Chinese art faces a challenge from a western-dominated international art world and the challenge of its own identity being affected by western culture, and a challenge of preserving their own identity. Chinese artists make an important contribution to international art as well as play an important role in the global market. Furthermore, I also investigate the background of contemporary Chinese art, why is it booming, and observe how Chinese artists navigate in the international art world. I will discuss the issue of cross-culture in contemporary art environment/context, particularly, the strategies of how contemporary Chinese artists can confront the challenge of western-dominated culture.