ABSTRACT
The chapter presents a summary of contemporary art in China during 2012, addressing two key issues. First, international events such as “occupying the Wall Street” barely had impact on the advancement of contemporary art in China, the Chinese government had been stepping up to promote contemporary art as a proactive force for social progress, and the Power Station of Art was opened in Shanghai − the first public museum featuring contemporary art in mainland China. Second, contemporary Chinese art had undergone radical transition driven by marketization, and the democratic spirit it championed originally was eroding. The divide between the contemporary art circle and the Beaux-Arts circle becomes less clear-cut, with academies of fine arts becoming a stronghold of contemporary art in China. Being in constant innovation, new media and new technology promise to engage all regions but not only metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai.
