ABSTRACT

This book explores the relationship between the ongoing urbanization in China and the production of contemporary Chinese art since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Wang provides a detailed analysis of artworks and methodologies of art-making from eight contemporary artists who employ a wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, and performance. She also sheds light on the relationship between these artists and their sociocultural origins, investigating their provocative responses to various processes and problems brought about by Chinese urbanization. With this urbanization comes a fundamental shift of the philosophical and aesthetic foundations in the practice of Chinese art: from a strong affiliation with nature and countryside to one that is complexly associated with the city and the urban world.

chapter |28 pages

The Art for the City

Zhong Biao

chapter |43 pages

De/Constructing Urbanization

Weng Fen, Chen Qiulin, and Han Bing

chapter |42 pages

From Landscape to Urbanscape

Yang Yongliang

chapter |46 pages

Disappearing Bodies

Liu Bolin

chapter |41 pages

The Street at Day and Night

Wang Fenghua and Liu Xintao

chapter |9 pages

Conclusion