Art, Media and Politics in Mainland China

CCCH9017

People, Propaganda and Profit: Understanding Media in China

Ling-Yun Tang, Dept. of Sociology, HKU

November 10, 2010

“Art Worlds”Howard Becker (1982):

"the network of people whose cooperative activity, organized via their joint knowledge of conventional means of doing things, produce(s) the kind of art works that art world is noted for."

Factory 798, Beijing

Wang Guangyi (b. 1956)

“Great Criticism Series: Coca-Cola” (2000)

Wang Guangyi (b. 1956)“Great Criticism Series: Chanel No. 5” (2001)

Fang Lijun (b. 1963), “Series 2, No. 2” (1991-1992)

Yue Minjun (b. 1962)“A Pyramid” (2001)

Zhang Xiaogang (b. 1958)“Bloodlines Series” (1995)

Liu Xiaodong (b. 1963), “Sanxia Da Yimin”

Art and the new nation (1949-1956)

1950, Celebrating National Day 1954, Chairman Mao gives us a happy life

Source: chineseposters.net

Celebrating the Great Leap Forward (1956-1960)

1958, Study the Soviet Union

1958, People’s communes

1959, The virtues of the canteen system

Defining China’s domestic and foreign image

1962, Hard work and fragrant flowers

1965, Anti-American imperialism

The Cultural Revolution (1966-76)

1966, Building a new world

with MZD thought

1970, Revolution and production

1968, MZD thought in literature and arts

The post-reform period:progressing towards modernity

1986

1997, One country, two systems

1987, One-child policy

Art world timeline (1949-1990s)

• 1950s-60s: Artists born in these decades mandated to create politically correct art, serving Party, revolution

• 1950: CAFA founded (Min. of Educ.)--introduced curriculum based on Marxism-Leninism and taught Soviet style socialist realism

• 1966-76: CAFA at center of propaganda machine (did not ease up till Deng reforms)

• Late-1970s: “art of the wounded”, Star Group• Mid-1980s: abstract expressionism, ‘80s wave• 1989-1992: freeze on exhibitions• 1990s: opening to global market; “Mao Craze”,

Cynical Realist, Political Pop

Inside the Chinese contemporary art scene

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhsCDqGb_LE

Artists as provocateurs

• Artists as cultural workers (1949-1976)

• Artists as creators of unique works of art

• Artists as entrepreneurs• Artists as partners in

the process of “creative destruction” of cities

• Artists as social commentators and critics

Ai Weiwei (b. 1957), “Sunflower Seeds” (2010), sculpture installation, Tate Modern, UK

1995, “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn”

2007, “Template” (before and after collapse), Kassel, Germany

Li Jikai (b. 1975) “Dirt 7” (2001)

Li Jikai (b. 1975) “Break Out of Soil”

(2006)

Wei Jia (b. 1975), “Discover” (2007)

Qiu Xiaofei (b. 1977)“Pagoda of the Discarded No. 8” (2008)

Han Yajuan (b. 1980)

“Vodka with Red Bull”

(2008)

Cao Fei (b. 1978), “Cos Players” (2004)

Cao Fei (b. 1978), “Whose Utopia” (2006-07)

Cao Fei (b. 1978), “RMB City” (2008)

Cao Fei (b. 1978), “RMB City” (2008)(characters China Tracy and China Sun)

Chi Peng (b. 1981)“Sprinting Forward” (2004)

“Infantization” (Guodong Shidai)

group show, Shanghai Art

Museum, May 28, 2007

The Rising Tide

Dir. Robert Adanto (2008)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA3enB0G2sM (0:00-4:56)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlfaN_bz8bQ&feature=related (0:55-4:31)

Implications of art world development for state-society relations

2005, condemned building, Beijing

2010, Guangzhou Opera House

Artists’ struggle for professional status (Kraus 2004)

• Viewing art as being “politicized” not very illuminating

• For artists, commercial pressures have replaced political ones

• Quest for professional autonomy--not simply artists being “rebels”

• State now sharing patronage with diffuse commercial market

• Artistic autonomy is not a matter of conscious policy

• How to preserve “socialist spiritual civilization”?