Trends in Chinese Art

Art HK was a weird experience. Many locale Hong Kongers and tourist mainlanders saw it as a tourist attraction. People were taking pictures of themselves doing the “V-for-Victory” peace sign in front of the more amusing pieces on sale which I have never seen before.

There were a lot of foreigners there, in fact, it looked like the entire population of the foreign quarter was there, buying their hearts out.

China is full of the newly rich dying for old world luxury forgotten since the 1920’s pre-Mao years. As this was the inaugural art expo, most of the gallery owners didn’t know what to expect and what to bring to court the new Chinese buyers. There were whispers of the Chinese liking sculptures more and that photography was doing horribly but nothing to confirm those facts. From what I saw, areas that got the most traffic where those that either had pieces by the old guard, such as the Warhols and the Picassos, or if the pieces were more … science fair-ish and interactive.

Current Asian Art Trends according to my Art HK 2008 experience

Iconic Chinese Figures

Warhol

1.  Mao Faces
Like the art of most (post-) communist or cult-of-the-leader countries, a good selection of Chinese art is a play on its most iconic political leader, Mao in this case. Mao faces are bedazzled, sequined and collaged ad nauseum. One artist created an impression of Mao’s face with grains of uncooked rice. The Warhol Maos were of course for sale for a ridiculous 100 000 pounds or so.
2. Buddha
Like the Mao faces, the elements of Buddha’s body got the bedazzle/sequin treatment. Nothing particularly stood out – most items bordered on stuff you sell to tourists but much more expensive. There was a Barney-purple sequined Buddha hand that looked shockingly like the college-humory shocker gesture.
Other Notables: Bruce Lee, Anna May Wong

Lost Landscapes

The Assembly Hall -Yangjialing by Shao Yinong and Mu Chen

As China goes through its industrialization and reconstruction at neckbreaking speed, a lot of rural and historical landscapes are being demolished or paved over for slick high-rises and industrial centres. Nostraliga for the old is evident in the pieces of many photographers who took pictures of Mao era assembly halls and construction sites.

Chinese Icons

1. Garbage and the tri-colour garbage bag
The Art HK Banner was done in the iconic tri-colour luggage/garbage bag, much to my happiness. LV made a spoof of this fabric way back but Chinese artists have been spoofing it since the good ol’ 80’s. Much Love.
2. Traditional Communist and Pre-Communist icons – Mao Suits, Cheongsams and Little Red Books
It is a requirement for every Chinese art school student to spoof the iconic garments but it seems that some students managed to carry this bland and overused subject matter into a profitable adulthood.
3. Traditional Houseware – Chairs, lanterns
Many artists recreated traditional shapes with new materials but you would have to ask whether true creativity was applied as a Chinese lantern is still a Chinese lantern.
4. Ping Pong
I loved a little piece called “Ping Pong” by Li Qing which portrays Sino-American relations as a ping pong match. Very cute.

Western Icons

Costume of a Painter – Bae Joon Sung

1. Consumer Brands
There was significant mockery of consumerism at Art HK despite the fact that most of the patrons at Art HK were the most well-heeled in Hong Kong. The fetishization of the Hermes orange was spoofed by Jiao Xing Lao and LV-spoofs were everywhere.
2. Artistic Icons
Many artists injected themselves or models into Western masterpieces such as Bae Joon Sung’s Custom of a Painter series.

Adapted Traditional Chinese and Western Methods
Scroll work and traditional ink methods were used to create graffiti and method subject matters but as I cannot read Chinese, I cannot tell you more about them.