The political, economic and cultural upheavals in China over the past century have truly been unprecedented, moving from the death of an empire to pseudo-colonialism under the world powers and finally to the communist revolution led by Mao Zedong which ended civil war and established a unified and independent People’s Republic.

From 1949 to 1976, Mao’s China attempted to construct a communist utopia. “Socialist realism” that sang the praises of the era became the mainstream of artistic creation.

Beginning in the 1980s, China’s reform and opening accelerated the modernization of Chinese society. Chinese artists began to engage in new artistic practices, experimenting in all manner of modernist art movements. Under the onslaught of globalization, Chinese contemporary art constantly shifted and grew alongside China’s social reality and cultural context. New concepts, ideas, techniques and materials were incorporated into artistic practice. Chinese contemporary artists pursued freedom of expression, presented their inner experiences and examined their state of existence, rushing the stage of international art with their unique perspectives and judgments. Today, Chinese contemporary art has grown to become a powerful and unique force in world contemporary art, the distillation of modern Chinese civilization.

This exhibition brings together nearly sixty works of art by forty artists representing three generations of Chinese art, spanning a wide range of art forms such as oil painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation and design. This is the largest group exhibition of Chinese contemporary artists in Eastern Europe. Of course, this does not represent the entirety of what is happening in China, but it does represent an outstanding and important subset of it. I am looking forward to the audience gaining a better understanding of contemporary China through the nation’s vibrant and diverse contemporary art.

This exhibition is jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China and Romania National Contemporary Art Museum, with the strong support of the Chinese Embassy in Romania. I would like to thank all of the participating artists for their trust, and all of the organizations and individuals who have provided support and sponsorship.

Curator Xin Dong Cheng

May 2013

About the exhibition

Duration: 10.06 – 04.08.2013

Venue: Muzeul National De Arta Contemporana

Exhibition co-produced by: Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China

With the support of: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Romania

Partner: AGA (Art Gallery Association, Beijing)

For further information please visit www.mnac.ro.