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To some extent， 1992 marked a turning point in the history of contemporary Chinese art – a time when Chinese art and artists represented the tiniest blip on global art radar. That year， Chinese artist Zhang Xiaogang， who was later billed as “representing a new face of China，” underwent a painful self-transformation. He was on the verge of giving up all artistic creation before becoming greatly inspired by a tour of Germany later that year. In October 1992， the first contemporary Chinese art biennial kicked off in Guangzhou， capital of southern China’s Guangdong Province， and it was considered an attempt by contemporary Chinese art to set its own rules after years of underground operation. The same year， Deng Xiaoping conducted his“southern tour” which pushed China’s reform and opening-up into a new phase， and the “market economy” began to change China’s art sector.
At the same time， British art histo- rian Karen Smith moved to China. After graduating from college， Smith headed to Hong Kong from Japan， arriving in Hong Kong in 1989. Two years later， the exhibition “Post 1989： New Art in China，” coorganized by artist Li Xianting and Hong Kong broker Johnson Chang Tsong-zung， was in preparation. It opened a year later， in January 1993. The exhibition involved work from almost every famous contemporary Chinese artist of the time， including Wang Guangyi， Fang Lijun， Zeng Fanzhi， Zhang Xiaogang， Zhou Chunya， and Xu Bing. Smith， who studied oil painting in college， was mesmerized by the works she saw. Later， she headed to Beijing， where she would spend the next 20 years roving from one exhibition to another， observing and chronicling the internationalization of contemporary Chinese art since the beginning.
In 2006， Smith published her first book on contemporary Chinese art： Nine Lives： The Birth of Avant-Garde Art in New China. The book documents nine artists from the ’85 New Wave Movement， and the new possibilities their work represented became the “first breath of contemporary Chinese art” in Smith’s opinion. Smith is at present working on another book， Bang to Boom： Chinese Art in the 1990s， which examines the tremendous changes of Chinese society and art in the decade spanning from the China Modern Art Exhibition held at the National Art Museum of China in February 1989 to the turn of the 21st Century， when China joined the World Trade Organization and became an equal partner in world affairs. Smith concludes that Chinese art endured a “clean， pure， and creative period， with all artists trying to break conventional rules” during the 1990s. Smith records her thoughts on Chinese domestic art since the 21st Century in other books such as the As Seen series， currently available in volumes one and two. Beginning in 2011， she chose what she saw as the most interesting works from 40 exhibitions to write about. “Young Chinese artists have become increasingly confident， and have less doubt about themselves and their existence as artists，” she notes. “Comparatively， younger European and American artists seem fatigued.”
Smith has been a spectator of the rise and development of Chinas art zones， of which she has her own unique understanding.
China Pictorial （CP）： Around the turn of the 21st Century， art districts such as Beijing’s 798 began sprouting across China. In your opinion， what role has the rise of those districts played in the development of contemporary Chinese art？
Smith： For a long time， the majority of government-funded art institutions in China paid little attention to contemporary art. This provided an opportunity for commercial galleries and private art institutions， but the majority has not had an easy ride. Art zones like 798 have， to some degree， filled the void. They have been able to provide a platform for China’s contemporary artists and through their work have given China’s contemporary art something of a cohesive cultural form.
CP： Which art districts in China have impressed you most deeply？ What changes in such districts have you noticed during your observation of the development of contemporary Chinese art？
Smith： Each art district， including 798 and Caochangdi Arts in Beijing and M50 in Shanghai， has its own characteristics and position. In the early years， individual art organizations in 798 contrasted each other drastically. The exhibitions they organized were also distinctly different， each displaying a passion for the art and capturing an element of the zeitgeist.
Presently， commercialization is the major problem. Increasing numbers of artists are bewildered about how they might fit into art districts like 798. With the prosperity of the art market， the rental rates in art zones have surged. Moreover， art organizations now work hand-in-hand with commercial enterprises such as design studios， fashion brands， and luxury products. In 798 Art Zone and M50 today， it is， however， challenging for visitors to show up and wander into an interesting or special art institution – they have to be familiar with the good galleries and fortunate to catch a good show. The commercial market has had an impact upon the original functionality of the districts. Galleries need clientele to survive， but at the same time， in order to create that clientele， China needs more art districts of various types so that more ordinary people can have chance to interact with contemporary art.
CP： Many art enterprises and events in the 798 Art Zone are foreign-funded. What do you think of the relationship between capital and artists？
Smith： Many factors can affect an artist’s creation. The introduction of foreign capital will certainly have an influence on China’s contemporary art. Given that economically， politically， culturally， the United States exerts tremendous influence on many other countries in the world， and then it is natural that the tastes of US collectors will have an impact on China’s art.
We aren’t living in a completely peaceful and fair world. There remain many problems. Today， most contemporary Chinese artists pay more attention to domestic problems rather than global issues. I don’t agree with the viewpoint that “only art which smears China can be accepted internationally.” Indeed， in the process of its social transformation China faces many problems， but the most popular of China’s contemporary artists in Western countries， such as Zhang Xiaogang and Zeng Fanzhi， didn’t win popularity by defaming China– they succeeded due to the aesthetic value of their work.
It seems that many people today share a common lacuna： the inability to observe new social phenomena and problems calmly， and to examine criticism objectively. We are still working through our responses to the impact of capital upon art. Only time will tell which artists are blindly swept away in the tide versus those who manage to hold strong， but I suspect it will be those who manage to communicate a true set of feelings about the world as they see it.
At the same time， British art histo- rian Karen Smith moved to China. After graduating from college， Smith headed to Hong Kong from Japan， arriving in Hong Kong in 1989. Two years later， the exhibition “Post 1989： New Art in China，” coorganized by artist Li Xianting and Hong Kong broker Johnson Chang Tsong-zung， was in preparation. It opened a year later， in January 1993. The exhibition involved work from almost every famous contemporary Chinese artist of the time， including Wang Guangyi， Fang Lijun， Zeng Fanzhi， Zhang Xiaogang， Zhou Chunya， and Xu Bing. Smith， who studied oil painting in college， was mesmerized by the works she saw. Later， she headed to Beijing， where she would spend the next 20 years roving from one exhibition to another， observing and chronicling the internationalization of contemporary Chinese art since the beginning.
In 2006， Smith published her first book on contemporary Chinese art： Nine Lives： The Birth of Avant-Garde Art in New China. The book documents nine artists from the ’85 New Wave Movement， and the new possibilities their work represented became the “first breath of contemporary Chinese art” in Smith’s opinion. Smith is at present working on another book， Bang to Boom： Chinese Art in the 1990s， which examines the tremendous changes of Chinese society and art in the decade spanning from the China Modern Art Exhibition held at the National Art Museum of China in February 1989 to the turn of the 21st Century， when China joined the World Trade Organization and became an equal partner in world affairs. Smith concludes that Chinese art endured a “clean， pure， and creative period， with all artists trying to break conventional rules” during the 1990s. Smith records her thoughts on Chinese domestic art since the 21st Century in other books such as the As Seen series， currently available in volumes one and two. Beginning in 2011， she chose what she saw as the most interesting works from 40 exhibitions to write about. “Young Chinese artists have become increasingly confident， and have less doubt about themselves and their existence as artists，” she notes. “Comparatively， younger European and American artists seem fatigued.”
Smith has been a spectator of the rise and development of Chinas art zones， of which she has her own unique understanding.
China Pictorial （CP）： Around the turn of the 21st Century， art districts such as Beijing’s 798 began sprouting across China. In your opinion， what role has the rise of those districts played in the development of contemporary Chinese art？
Smith： For a long time， the majority of government-funded art institutions in China paid little attention to contemporary art. This provided an opportunity for commercial galleries and private art institutions， but the majority has not had an easy ride. Art zones like 798 have， to some degree， filled the void. They have been able to provide a platform for China’s contemporary artists and through their work have given China’s contemporary art something of a cohesive cultural form.
CP： Which art districts in China have impressed you most deeply？ What changes in such districts have you noticed during your observation of the development of contemporary Chinese art？
Smith： Each art district， including 798 and Caochangdi Arts in Beijing and M50 in Shanghai， has its own characteristics and position. In the early years， individual art organizations in 798 contrasted each other drastically. The exhibitions they organized were also distinctly different， each displaying a passion for the art and capturing an element of the zeitgeist.
Presently， commercialization is the major problem. Increasing numbers of artists are bewildered about how they might fit into art districts like 798. With the prosperity of the art market， the rental rates in art zones have surged. Moreover， art organizations now work hand-in-hand with commercial enterprises such as design studios， fashion brands， and luxury products. In 798 Art Zone and M50 today， it is， however， challenging for visitors to show up and wander into an interesting or special art institution – they have to be familiar with the good galleries and fortunate to catch a good show. The commercial market has had an impact upon the original functionality of the districts. Galleries need clientele to survive， but at the same time， in order to create that clientele， China needs more art districts of various types so that more ordinary people can have chance to interact with contemporary art.
CP： Many art enterprises and events in the 798 Art Zone are foreign-funded. What do you think of the relationship between capital and artists？
Smith： Many factors can affect an artist’s creation. The introduction of foreign capital will certainly have an influence on China’s contemporary art. Given that economically， politically， culturally， the United States exerts tremendous influence on many other countries in the world， and then it is natural that the tastes of US collectors will have an impact on China’s art.
We aren’t living in a completely peaceful and fair world. There remain many problems. Today， most contemporary Chinese artists pay more attention to domestic problems rather than global issues. I don’t agree with the viewpoint that “only art which smears China can be accepted internationally.” Indeed， in the process of its social transformation China faces many problems， but the most popular of China’s contemporary artists in Western countries， such as Zhang Xiaogang and Zeng Fanzhi， didn’t win popularity by defaming China– they succeeded due to the aesthetic value of their work.
It seems that many people today share a common lacuna： the inability to observe new social phenomena and problems calmly， and to examine criticism objectively. We are still working through our responses to the impact of capital upon art. Only time will tell which artists are blindly swept away in the tide versus those who manage to hold strong， but I suspect it will be those who manage to communicate a true set of feelings about the world as they see it.