Improved body image
| 
ZHANG Huan
Chinese 1965-
To raise the water level in a fishpond 1997
type C photograph
185.0 x 261.0 cm
Private collection, Melbourne
© Zhang Huan |
Seems China, and particularly Chinese photography,
is the flavour of the month at the moment. Hard on the heels of
the Sydney exhibition Generation C at the Australian
Centre for Photography, the National Gallery of Victoria will
present a provocative exhibition of works by seven of China’s
most noted photographers from March 14.
With the world’s spotlight soon to be focussed
on China as Beijing hosts the Olympic Games in 2008, Body
Language: Contemporary Chinese Photography features large-scale
works which explore how Chinese contemporary photographers engage
and use the body in their art. In the context of Chinese art since
1949, the growing willingness of Chinese artists to use the human
form as an object of expression in itself, rather than as a part
of a wider narrative, represents a marked shift in thinking.
Dr Isobel Crombie, Senior Curator, Photography at
the NGV sees Chinese photography as having undergone a period
of transformation and growth over the last decade. “As modern
and traditional life collide in Chinese society, the body has
become one of the most immediate, authentic and potent sites for
artists to explore,” she said.
“Body Language highlights the many
ways these artists express their fears and hopes. The exhibition
offers a fascinating insight into contemporary life in one of
the world’s most dynamic and ancient cultures.”It
wasn’t until the mid 1970s that knowledge of Western art
movements began to filter into China. Notwithstanding new, more
relaxed approaches to creative expression in recent times, the
exhibition of experimental art is still a complex matter. By the
late 1990s contemporary art practice had expanded in China, and
as a consequence, Chinese artists were able to embrace a more
experimental approach.
Despite the widespread recognition of Chinese art
(particularly traditional art) internationally, the popularity
of contemporary art is more often than not evident outside the
country. In the past five years, Western public galleries, collectors
and auction houses have responded to the creative energy and inventiveness
of contemporary Chinese art resulting in a so-called “hot
market”. The result is that the artists comprising the current
“wave” of contemporary Chinese art are better known
outside their own country than in it.
The NGV’s Dr Gerard Vaughan said photography
from China had exploded onto the world stage for good reasons:
“Creative experimentation, energetic exploration of issues
and visual impact have made contemporary Chinese photography widely
appreciated across the world.” He added that most of the
works in Body Language had been completed very recently
and were being presented for the first time.
The exhibition comprises thirteen works by Chi Peng,
Huang Yan, Liu Wei, Sheng Qi, Wang Qingsong, Chen Nong and
Zhang Huan. For more information go to the NGV website.
David Edwards
