'Rising' at 34 Long
by Mammotsa Makhene
Chinese art is a fairly new product on the art scene, the works and artists featured in 'Rising', an exhibition at 34 Long serve as an interesting introduction to Contemporary Chinese art practice. The artists in the exhibition are of an older generation, and having all lived through China's recent cultural and social turmoils their works are interestingly reflective. The Cultural Revolution during Mao Zedong's rule rose out of a silencing of non-conformist cultural practitioners and anyone who challenged his line of thought and leadership. Following Mao was Den Xiaoping whose style of leadership was in opposition to Mao�s socialist ideals. Den Xiaoping opened China to the world market; this effectively changed the socio-cultural context of the country. These are some of the themes in China�s recent history that the artists draw on in the exhibition.
While the works draw on similar socio-political and cultural instances the exhibition also highlights the varied degrees to which the artists draw on these themes. There is an underlying similarity in socio-cultural commentary, the artists draw on aspects of capitalism, globalization, consumerism and the effects of these on traditional and contemporary Chinese society and culture. The exhibition fuses these elements while also exposing individual thought and artistic insight.
The artists work in different mediums; sculpture, prints, paintings, silkscreen editions and mixed media, some of these offerings are explicit in their commentary on Chinese society while some are less explicit. In his silk screen prints Hp Invent and Coca-Cola Wang Guangyi's uses familiar signs in consumerism to critique ideas of global culture that can be seen to be perpetuating a kind of cultural propaganda. The works draw on elements of propaganda art in their animated detailing of campaign motifs, the figures in the works seem to be motivated for or against some force, suggesting a kind of mass mobilization. The figures in their shared dissatisfied energy are used by the artist to call attention to the forces of foreign cultural domination. In raised arms and gestures of speech they appear to be necessitating for a kind of action against foreign influence. Hp Invent and Coca -Cola as symbols of mass culture, mass communication, and technological advancement exported by the West are used by the artist to critique contemporary cultural values.
The Luo Brothers' work, Welcome to the Famous Brands of the World presents the unfortunate realities owed to global culture. It shows Asian figurines embracing symbols of western brand culture: Pepsi, Heineken and McDonalds. The figurines are delightfully floating in mid air while gently clutching on to bottles of Pepsi and Heineken.
Similarly, Huang Gang is also interested on the effects of imperial culture and loss of traditional values in China's accelerating role in global culture. His commentary is less explicit as it draws less on popular symbols; instead he uses symbols drawn from ancient cultures. Elements in Tibetan and Hindu Culture which form the basis of contemporary religious and secular practice are used to contrast the past with the present. My Box, Red Star is symbolically loaded, the red star, a symbol of socialist ideals is combined with ancient Tibetan script which seems to be a fusion of calligraphy, Arabic and Japanese script. The left side of the image shows a securely locked trunk, suggesting a bolting and concealment; on the right side of the image the inside part of the trunk is laid open, suggesting a loss of the sacred. By fusing the oldest traditions, Buddhist and Hindu Culture the work suggests a longing for a valuable past no longer revered in contemporary society.
Zhang Xiaogang's lithograph editions link past and present. His blood line series traces genealogy through personal and national narratives. The starting point of the series of works was motivated by him finding pictures of relatives who had either died or were displaced following China's recent historical turmoils. His one edition, Amnesia and Memory Notes depicts what looks like a personal work space with ink spilling over a written in note book. This suggests an obliteration of past narratives and ideals. Zhang appears to be commenting on the transition between Mao and Den Xiaoping's era's and how the two era's brought about differing socio-political ideals. This thematic feature is evident in his third work in the series. Family Portrait shows a more or less standard family portrait: parents with their young son whose genitals are exposed, telling us of his sex. This image recalls China's recent social strategies practiced in Den Xiaoping's era of 'birth planning' which encouraged families not to have more than one child. The portrait then stands as a depiction of the 'ideal' family as advocated by Den Xiaoping. This was an effort to curb China's growing population, another tactic in leadership that went against his predecessor Mao. In all three images there is a recurring blood line, this is how the artist joins past and present through personal and national themes.
The works featured in the exhibition all draw on familiar socio-cultural and political instances in China's past and recent history. Some are a critique on imperial culture and its influence on traditional Chinese culture and society and some reference past national ideals owed to China's past leaders Mao and Den Xiaoping. The exhibition also brings together the different stylistic and thematic approaches employed by the artists in their handling of these themes and narratives. Some are direct in their referencing of social elements, the Luo brothers' critique on contemporary cultural values, and Zhang's less explicit commentary in his symbolic contrasts of past and present society. These strong thematic inquiries are presented in an equally stimulating visual style. The exhibition is impressive both on an aesthetic and intellectual level.
34 Long Street, Cape Town
Tel: (021) 426 4594
Email: fineart@34long.com
www.34long.com
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