Global Art Framework and the Overseas New Chinese Arts

To those who pay close attention to the trend of international arts, the 1990s is a decade seeing one climax after another in the development of art. Living in the global village which has been brought about by the unprecedented development of the internet, everyone's life is being more and more influenced by art activities. As China emerges as a budding power on the international stage, the rise of overseas new Chinese arts has become very evident on the global art stage.

As the trend of globalization is becoming more veident with the coming of the 21st century, there is in fact also not much difference between overseas new Chinese arts and the domestic new arts. Many Chinese artists and exhibition curators who work and live in New York and Paris often come back to China to work or to carry out their art projects. Meanwhile, the art works created by the artists living in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou also appear in international mega-exhibitions, together with that of overseas Chinese artists. Obviously, it is inappropriate to deliberately differentiate the domestic new Chinese arts from overseas new Chinese arts.

From the vantage point of the international development of art, the so called mainstream Euro-American art of the 1990s did not produce the Earth art, Concept art, and Performance art which took place with full force in the 1960s and 1970s. Yet art using technology and man-made materials as the medium or the material has suddenly risen as the new wave. Num June Paik, a Korean artist, practiced TV sculpture in the 1960s. Roschenberg founded the Art and Science Association in America at the beginning of the 1970s to coordinate the cooperative project between American artists and scientists. In almost the same period, Andy Warhol probed the possibility of making art with photography and a film camera. Maybe we can even trace this back to earlier times when Duchamp announced he was gaving up painting and dealing with the ready-made works. As a result, after decades of accumulation and practice, visual art, computer art and installation art in the 1990s, became the major art forms of the EuroAmerican art world. What's more, a number of novel artists such as Matthew Berny, Stan Douglas, Monet Haton, Bill Viola and Gary Hill emerged with video installation and mediaart which integrates various technologies and media. The appearance of new technology art, new materials, new media, and the concept of globalization, has greatly changed the vision of global art in the 1990s. Yet by researching these novel Western artists' practice we find a very common and interesting phenomenon: areturn to the study of Zenism and mysticism. It seems that despite the arrival of the technology era,artists still maintain or seek the mysterious spiritual power of human and primitive life. Similarly, technology cannot solve every problem of human beings. When technical power and human beings' artistic wisdom merge and correspond to each other, the artists' creative power can fly to an ideal state on the wings of technology. To some degree, it is a new interaction between Eastern and Western cultures in the era of the global village.

The development of international arts is closely related to the evolution of politics and the economy. Confliction in international politics and ideology is also reflected in art. For example, at the beginning of the 1990s, a large number of art exhibitions from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe were staged in the major art venues of Europe and the U.S.A.

These kinds of artworks satisfied the curiosity of Europe and the U.S.A. about the "iron curtain" of former Soviet Union. At the same time, the exhibitions also suggested that the Americans considered themselves the winner of the Cold War. When the Cold War was no longer a subject for people to talk about, the so called "novel art" of former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe thus rose to prevailed and turned out to be the weapon and sacrifice of political confrontation.

Japan's economy has developed continuously at a high velocity since World WarⅡ. Japanese artists have been searching for the a to break away from EuroAmerica-centered art and to foster their own new art version. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the artists of the"Gutai Group" and "Mono-ho Art" devoted much effort to the commitment of integrating Eastern philosophy and Western technology. At the beginning of the 1990s, while the national power of Japan was further strengthened, the Japanese government's desire to push brand new art of Japan onto the international stage was swelling. Supported by the Japan Foundation,an official organization in Japan, more than 20 exhibitions on contemporary Japanese art and culture were unveiled in major international art museums in order to carry forward the new culture and new art of Japan. Meanwhile, the emergence of a great number of internationally prestigious novel artists, such as Moshimura Yasutama and Moriko Mori reflects Japan's creativity in technology and art as well as its pose as a big power and its enthusiastic involvement in international art dialogues and exchanges.

At the beginning of the 1990s, when the economy of South East Asia was booming, the art of South Asia and South East Asia was also introduced to the U.S.A.. For example, the Tradition and Tension Exhibition organized there by the Asia Society. However, due to the meager cultural accumulation in that area, its artists seldom carry a lot of weight. They seem to be toys in the hands of Western novelty hunters and so were laid aside after being used. Yet somehow it indicates that the artists of South East Asia have started to step onto the international art stage.
Another two important characteristics of the global art framework in the 1990s were the internationalization of contemporary art museums and the appearance of various kinds of large-scale international art exhibitions around the world. Many countries and cities regard the building, the reconstruction or the extension of contemporary art museums as a major part of improving their cultural facilities. Lots of contemporary art museums of different scales have been built in Taipei, Kwungjun，Osaka, Kobe, Los Angeles, Massachusetts and the Mexico City. In particular, the building of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, an industrial city in the north of Spain, in 1992 by the Museum of New York revealed its ambition to carry out an international trust. There were seven large-scale international bienniales held in major cities of five continents in 1997, including the Venice bienniale, the St. Paulo, the Johannesburg, the Istanbul, the Havana, the Kwungjun, and the Taipei biennales. These bienniales provided a broader stage for international artists to give full range to their art projects. These contemporary museums and bienniales make it possible for curators to take the leading role in art trends and in the center of the art system. The increasingly important role played by art curators not only indicates the socialization of contemporary art but it is also the requirement of the evolution of art mechanisms. Curators with different cultural identities play the role of cultural spokesperson on international art forums.

The development of international politics and the economy and the evolution of international art frameworks in the 1990s provided a good opportunity for overseas Chinese art to be ranked in the international art world. A large number of talented Chinese artists, such as Cai Guoqiang, Xu Bing,and Huang Yongping went abroad to make greater achievements at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of 1990s. After more than 10 years of endeavour, they have finally gained international reputations. They actively penetrated the international art stage which, until now, has been dominated by EuroAmerican artists.

Born in Quanzhou, Fujian Province in 1957, Cai Guoqiang graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1985 and went to Japan in 1986. In the New Wave Art Movement of 1980s, he went against the trend of Westernization and studied the essence of traditional Chinese culture. He tried to turn traditional Chinese culture into contemporary art language and focused on seeking the roots of Asian culture. Taking The Project for Extraterrestrial as the breach, Cai Guoqiang presented to the world his magnificent and gunpowder-like works of art which have become the most influential works on the international art stage. He came to New York in 1995 and won several big prizes in international exhibitions. His appearance was a whirlwind-like power, sweeping the world. Some Western curators and critics thus see him as an increasingly subversive force, and with his Asian cultural roots, his work demonstrates his talent for drawing on ancient Chinese culture and developing it to become a contemporary art language.

Before going to the United States in 1990, Xu Bing exhibited his landmark work Book from the Sky in the China Art Gallery. It drew great attention after being taken to Europe and the United States. It has been regarded as the most classic works of concept art of China in the 1980s and has deeply played upon the heartstrings of every western viewer so much to that western scholars are still exploring the value and meaning of this works after more than 10 years. In the following years, he continued to create a series of important works including Cultural Animals, Ghost Bumping Against the Wall, Beginner to New English Calligraphy, Silkworm Series and Chains. Xu Bing was granted the "McArthur Art Genius", the highest art prize of the United States, in July of 1999. The Sackler Art Museum in Washington D. C. will hold a large-scale exhibition on the personal art works of Xu Bing in 2000, which will be a great event in the Sino-American Art Exchanges in 2000.

Huang Yongping came to France with the Exhibition of Earth-the Magician and began his art life abroad since then. He has gradually been penetrating the international art stage since 1993. The international influence of his works has expanded from France to Europe and the United States. His works were on display in the National Hall of the Venice Biennial Exhibition, representing France, and were regarded as the essence of eastern culture as absorbed by France.

Like overseas Chinese artists, a number of young Chinese art curators who are active in international art community, also play a positive role in the profile of overseas Chinese art.

There are three obvious tendencies in the development of overseas Chinese arts. The first tendency is to use traditional or ancient Chinese cultural symbols. The overuse of Chinese symbols was very common in the works of many overseas Chinese artists in the 1990s. The symbols they used and referred to ranged from dragon to phoenix, from Taihu rocks to big red gates, from ancient ceramics and bronze to the political symbols of the Cultural Revolution. They not only acted as the materials of their works but also the carrier for conveying art ideas. To use a particular kind of material and medium is not the crux of the matter. What matters is how to explain one's opinions and turn them into unconventional art languages and forms under different cultural backgrounds and what kind of attitude is taken during this course. We can hardly see such works, except those of the above mentioned excellent Chinese artists. However, to the Chinese artists who have just arrive in Europe and the United States, the use of Chinese symbols is obviously the most convenient and primary form of creating art works. The outstanding works made by such measures
include The Project for Extraterrestrials, Bringing What is Forgotten by Marco Polo to Venice and The Dragon is Coming by Cai Guoqiang, Beginner to New English Calligraphy, Banner Project by Xu Bing and The Round Table by Chen Zhen.

Another kind of tendency is to break away from the use of Chinese symbols and to challenge the mainstream art system of the west with the new methodology developed from the essence of Chinese tradition. This reflects not only the distinctive cultural personality and the incisive views of Chinese artists but also the strong potential of the derivation and development of Chinese culture. Although such works as The Room of Earthworms in New York by Cai Guoqiang is rare, they are tremendously stimulating and are a deviation from the mainstream art circles of the west.

Moreover, overseas Chinese artists tend to carry out art dialogues Within a international political and economic background. It does not involve historical issues but makes overall judgement on the living conditions of human kind. Yet it reveals the distinctive humor and wisdom of the Chinese people and amplifies Chinese artists' voice in international forums. For instance, the appearance of such works as the Centennial Mushroom Cloud by Cai Guoqiang and Cheap News by Wang Du, reflects that the attention of Chinese artists has shifted from the fate of themselves and the nation to the common problem confronted by the whole world or humankind. It has risen to another level called globalization or the mutual infiltration of culture. This is indeed the trend of the evolution and development of the contemporary world art. Chinese artists are trying to take a lead in this trend.

There is no doubt that the development of overseas Chinese artists can hardly be separated from the expansion of China's influence in international society. The fact that China is becoming the focus of the world urges people to reconsider the history, the culture and the ongoing development of China, as well as the new generation of artists who are coming of age with the development of China. Global mass media begins to pay attention to how they carry on the 5000-year-old civilization, how they establish their position in today's world and how they perceive themselves and the whole world. The rising China, Chinese people and Chinese culture has become an important force in the world's framework. The new century will provide Chinese artists with broader prospects.

① Jane Farua: Cai Guoqiang's Art, from Cultural Bath, 1997, Queen's Art Gallery, New York Adopted from Art of China 2000. 1 vol. 24