ABSTRACT
Looking at contemporary Chinese art, the spiritual teachings of its major religions are still vital, but today’s artists work in more modern formats – installation, digital photography, videos, performance art – and traditional brush painting and sculpture. In response to the freedom to practice religion re-established in 1980, people returned to the temples and spiritual activities, and artists were free to explore their sacred heritage. Daoism’s engagement in the search for longevity and spiritual peace led artists like Wenda Gu to study alchemy in his “hair ink” and tea alchemy; Xu Bing to re-create the Peach Blossom Spring utopia; and Cai Guoqiang to employ gunpowder in massive firework displays. As for Buddhism, the photographer Wang Qingsong contrasted its icons with the new commercialism and westernization; Zhang Huan made giant ash icons; and Gao Bo, Gao Lei, Yang Jinsong, and others found inspiration in Tibet. Biblical themes appear in Yue Minjun’s paintings using his own likeness, the Gao Brothers’ performances, Cao Yuanming’s photographs of rural worshippers, and Daozi’s ink and brush Christian images. Viewed as a group, these artists and others use art as a means of spiritual reflection and solace in their fast-paced and rapidly changing world.
