Shen_Jiawei

Art has a profound impact on how we understand culture, and is a powerful tool that conveys to the audience an artist’s view on the world. The cultural frame in particular allows one to ….(add something here). Art from the turbulent times of the Chinese Cultural revolution is primarily propaganda art, promoting nationalist ideologies. Today, however, Chinese artists have a greater freedom which allows them to express their own ideas, opinions and views. Cultural, historical and political matters form the inspirational basis of Shen Jiawei’s art-making, and his personal history greatly influences the style and subject matter of his art. Born in Shanghai, Shen’s education came to an abrupt halt as China went into the Cultural Revolution. This was a violent chapter in China’s history, during which Shen and his friends had to prove their worth as Red Guards, supporting the regime of Mao Zedong. During the last years of the Cultural Revolution Shen became an official painter for the Chinese Communist Party, furthering the spread of communist ideology. The revolution dominated life in China during the 70s and art strictly had to promote Mao, the heroism of the ordinary worker, and revolution. Shen’s development as an artist furthered after Mao’s death (which ended the Cultural Revolution), as the new open door policy allowed Shen to explore European art. Shen was then accepted into the Central academy of Fine Arts. Shen was free to make art which was not limited by the ideals of the communist party, and his interest in European art led him to paint a self portrait which broke Chinese conventions. Often he combines elements of present and past history to challenge the typical perceptions of politics and culture, and reflect his thoughts on life and experiences in China. His highly realistic style of painting and accurate representations strengthen the irony and satire, which adds meaning to his work, highlighting his “fiercely critical vision of history.” Shen’s Oil painting, Peking Treaty 1901#2 2006 is strongly representative of his socio-political style, and depicts a central image of the body of Christ, surrounded by the “envoys of ten western countries and Japan” negotiating “peace with Prince Qing”1. Shen uses appropriation to adapt a European style of oil painting to represent his both personal history and identity and of the complex relationship between Chinese and Western ideologies. These themes contribute to his unique style and assist in Peking Treaty commenting on the consequences of political actions in china’s turbulent past. Shen uses the signs, symbols and visual language to convey meaning to the audience. Christ’s murder is a symbol, taken from western art and recontextualised to depict the suffering inflicted by the anti Christian Chinese Boxers (an anti-Western rebel group), and the Allied forces, who killed countless innocent Chinese during their occupation of Peking during the war. The painting, breaks the conventions of traditions of european oil painting styles and changes the subjects to convey a new meaning. Appropriation of Andrea Mantegna’s renaissance oil painting, “Dead Christ” (c. 1500) makes a satirical statement regarding China’s political history. As can be seen through the extremely prominent cultural and sociopolitical influence throughout Shen’s painting, Peking Treaty, it is designed to allow the audience to understand the artist’s view of his culture, and the world he lives in. Another example of how art, such as his, has shaped understanding of can be seen through the oil painting Palaquin after Yan Liben (2002), an appropriation of a Chinese masterpiece Imperial Palquin by Yan Liben (c. 600-673). Shen has used the composition and traditional Chinese style of the work but has recontextualised the artwork by giving it new meaning; replacing the Chinese emperor Tai Zhong with Chairman Mao surrounded by 9 courtesans in Liben’s work. The original envoy of the king of Tibet is also replaced by modern historical leaders, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon, and Premier Zhou Enlai, all symbolic of various cultural values and historical eras. Thus, Shen fuses modern and ancient history by using a traditional masterpiece and replacing the subjects to express his personal ideologies. The satire of Mao playing the role of the emperor highlights his autocratic and totalitarian control of China, particularly during the Cultural Revolution. As well as fusing past and present, Shen also combines Western and Chinese culture by depicting Chinese and American leaders, which allows audiences to relate to the depiction of contemporary politics. The Beijing Olympics in particular was a cultural catalyst which uncovered many contemporary Chinese artists who are gaining reputation in the art scene. China’s economic development is quickly accelerating, and 40 million farmers have been displaced while living standards in urban centers have improved greatly. These artworks help audiences understand the culture of contemporary China, and the social and economic changes that have taken place. Similar to Shen Jiawei, Nan Hao is a Chinese contemporary artist, who comments on the change and continuity of Chinse society, focusing on changing cities and lifestyles. Art in China has come a long way from the limitations of communist ideologies, and today, video and motion graphics are accepted as a legitimate art form in china. Nan Hao is faced with a contemporary Chinese life that is dominated by “political pop, superficial conceptualism and powerful economic motives”2. Nan Hao comments on such cultural phenomena with his performances amongst intersections and 6 to 8 lane boulevards of speeding traffic in New York and Beijing. This is reflected in the performance work “Chi” (2008), which uses video to capture the artist performing ancient Chinese martial art in the middle of a bustling city road. The video provides the audience with a window through which they experience life in Beijing, and the time based element allows artists to communicate to the audience in a new way. Video allows artists to overcome differences in language, which previously acted as a communication barrier, preventing understanding of Chinese culture. “Chi” explores the temperament of the Beijing and the impact of “frenzied change”3. The slow graceful movements of the ancient martial art is in stark contrast to the fast pace of contemporary city life. The artist’s “continuous grace” seems to defy the traffic as cars, bikes and buses zoom past the him and passersby overtake the artist, apathetic representations of the shallow nature of contemporary society. Nan Hao challenges the values of society by ironically recontextualising the “meditative movements”4 of Tai Chi in a busy, contemporary urban environment. The traffic and the apathetic attitudes of the people make the artist seem out of place, and suggest that the traditional slow lifestyle cannot keep up with the pace of the city. The work also evokes emotions of suspense and fear for the artist’s safety, and this allows him to connect with the audience to make a powerful statement about contemporary culture and city life. Allan Chawner is an Australian video artist, and his “work is a response to identity, both of the self and of the communities.”5 Chawner also documents the culture and city life of Beijing, and his video “Beijing Ballet” is filmed in the early evening, capturing the lights and business of city traffic. Traffic in Beijing often appears neither chaotic nor regulated, and individuals find themselves caught amongst large vehicles. The flow of movement is presented as a graceful ballet, accompanied by the classical soundtrack of Debussy’s “Claire de la Lune”. The surge of the traffic seems choreographed and “This (the music) coupled with the diversity of vehicles makes for a metaphorical indicator of Chinese culture, a Beijing ballet.”6 The work romanticises urban life, expressing Chawner’s personal feelings towards the scene. The music and the diversity of the vehicles metaphorically represents the diversity of Chinese culture, with large divides between rich and poor, the powerful and the ordinary. The smoking garbage man on a bike is a central image during much of the video, and his bulging load of recycling is a sign of the excess, globalization and consumerism that is accelerating the changing pace of Chinese culture. Recycling garbage is very important in china, and the man is almost depicted as hero-like in his role of keeping the city clean. The classical music is heavily contrasted in the context of Chinese society, further emphasising globalization, consumerism and the metaphoric ballet. Ultimately, artworks can shape the way we understand culture, because it allows the artist to express his or her point of view to the audience. A greater understanding of Chinese contemporary culture emerges from the themes underlying artworks such politics, society and economics. Chinese artists are becoming increasingly acknowledged in today’s art scene, as they are able to fuse elements of their world, delivering their message in a unique artistic style. Art in China is becoming increasingly influenced by both contemporary Western and ancient Chinese art practices, and the use of recontextualising creates parallels between other cultures, past and present. Thus, the methods and contexts utilized by Chinese artists provide a glimpse of a different perspective for audiences around the world.