GENERAL INTRODUCTION
These last few years, China contemporary art initiated an increasing focus from the international art scene and the Chinese art market reached unprecedented records. This phenomena was furthermore intensified by the multiple biennales, art fairs and exhibitions held in China and abroad. However, although numbers of publications on this matter have been written, most of them mainly consist in a cataloguing of Chinese artists without real analysis. With the development of new technologies and its access facility, video art became more and more popular, and is one of the principal media used nowadays. We all heard about the successful works of Yang Fudong and other artists, but none thorough research has been made on the history of video art in China.
Focusing on these initial thoughts, BizArt with Arthub decided to undertake a research on the history of Chinese video art, from its beginning until today under the support of the Prince Claus Fund. To enlarge the accessibility of information about Chinese contemporary art, this study will be carried on internet: on a contemporary art online forum - Art-Ba-Ba - where everyone will be able to read, comment and discuss this topic. Although this research will be as objective as possible, collected information will be - consicously or not - treated under a certain angle (like any other studies), if only because of the the video artists’ selection. Through this online confrontation with other professionals from the art field (including artists, curators, critics, etc), this research will be continuously developed and cover various aspects of Chinese video art history.
About Art-Ba-Ba Contemporary Art Community
‘Art-Ba-Ba’ (www.art-ba-ba.com) is an internet forum created by a group of young artists in 2006 and dedicated to the promotion of contemporary art. ‘Art-Ba-Ba’ is mainly meant for artists, curators, art critics, art lovers, students, art organizations, collectors, etc. This free, liberal-minded, interactive, artistic platform builds together with internet users a lively contemporary art community.
Art-Ba-Ba’s main objective consists in the promotion of contemporary art in China (and abroad). This free and open communication platform carries out intellectual activites, collects both Chinese and worldwide art information, including artists’ archives. Numerous international news or events are reported everyday online, artistic events and backgrounds are analyzed under different angles. Enlivened discussions between internet users, exchange of ideas and points of view all contribute to create a stimulating intellectual atmosphere.
To maintain the dynanism of these discussions, Art-Ba-Ba regularly organizes academic activities and studies. Internet users have the opportunity to directly debate with artists and Art-Ba-Ba team, topics related to the contemporary art scene, increasing their knowledge in this field.
Sharing the same objectives, BizArt Art Center and Art-Ba-Ba Contemporary Art Community work in partnership.
RESEARCH WORKING PROCESS
1 – Interviews and collected information analysis (from 2008 to 2010)
1.1 – Study’s outlines:
a. General features: outline video art development process, collect any related documents as well as artists’ own descriptions about video art history.
b. Background: video art history is closely related to artists’ social background. Video artists will be classified according to their artistic evolution and thoughts. Main works will be analysed from their initiation to their production in relation to their social and historical context. Furthermore, links between the works, whether continuous, transitional or discontinuous will be studied.
c. Artists community: through this study, figure out relationships between the artists, their common points, their background and understand their choice for this medium.
d. Key artists: individual research to analyse each artist’s style and particularities, their different creating methods, their way of facing issues, their aesthetic requests, and their specific use this medium.
e. Exhibitions/Activities: research exhibitions and events featuring these video artists, analyse their influences on other artists and the art society.
f. West-East differences: focus on the differences between Eastern and Western world, how Chinese video artists reflected upon Western video art system, their judgement and choices.
1.2 - Relevant issues (to be modified according to the interviews)
a. Why using video?: the choice of video as a medium.
b. Source of the assimilated information and studies’ history.
c. Experiment new media language, is this a progress? Does it stimulate creation’s development? Are there other technical possibilities? How to use new technologies?
d. How technique, artworks’ topics and means of expression correspond to various periods’ thoughts, how to convert and handle these materials?
e. Are there any radical political views? What are the political orientations and beliefs values?
f. What are the best media to express these topics? Relation between video art’s form and content.
g. Gather artworks; analyse artists’ individual creating process, rules, lines, break-throughs and other issues.
h. Relation between video and narration, video and time, video and images, issues related to the structural completion of a video.
i. Relation between video art and other art field: number of artists use more than one medium, interrelation and influences between these different lines.
j. What are the criteria of perfection for video art in China? How to face and handle the relationship between East and West.
2. Working schedule and interview layouts - Three phases (from 2008 to 2010)
2.1 - 1990s, Apparition of video art in China
Considering that we are already in May and to ensure the quality of the interviews and studies, the First year of research will only cover the parts a. and b. below.
a. Focus on video language starting from the exploitation of this medium.
Zhang Peili 张培力 (b.1957) (various hints)
Wang Gongxin 王功新 (b.1960) (daily life)
Wang Jianwei 汪建伟 (b.1958) (theatrical and textual)
Li Yongbin 李永斌 (b.1963) (abstract)
b. About new media art and the use of interactive installation
Zhou Xiaohu 周啸虎 (b.1960) (animation film and sculpture)
Hu Jieming 胡介鸣 (b.1957) (interactive installation)
Shi Yong 施勇 (b.1963) (sound and performance)
Second year of research – 2009:
c. Combination of video art with various art fields
Xu Tan徐坦 (b.1957) (video and concept)
Li Juchuan 李巨川 (B.1964) (video and architecture)
Lin Yilin林一林 (b.1964)
Yan Lei颜磊 (b.1965)
Chen Shaoxiong 陈绍雄 (b.1962) (video and ink)
Song Dong 宋东 (b.1966) (video and performance)
Zhu Jia 朱加 (b.1963)
2.2 - After 2000, Development of video art in China: video art movement
a. Video art movement (recent period)
Qiu Zhijie 邱志杰 1969 (video art activities curated with Wu Meichun)
b. Pursuance of traditional video language, emphasis on narration and aestheticism: the technique is hidden and artists focus on symbols. Artists and their and main works.
Yang Fudong 杨福东 (b.1971), Seven intellectuals in bamboo forest (5 parts) /《竹林七贤》（5部）
Shi Qing 石青 (b.1969), Anorexia /《厌食症》
Jiang Zhi 蒋志 (b.1971), First finger,《食指》
Chen Xiaoyun 陈晓云 (b.1971), Queen’s Lily’s garden,《关于莉莉花园的一切》
Lu Chunsheng 陆春生 (b.1968), History of Chemistry, 《化学史》
3rd year of research – 2010:
c. Possessing performance aspect, artists and works which focus more on individuals and life experiences.
Xu Zhen 徐震 (b.1977), Rainbow /《彩虹》, Shouting /《喊》 Shouting, 18 Days /《十八天》. (Individual private experience, performance and video art)
Kan Xuan 阚萱 (b.1972), Kan Xuan, Eh! /《阚萱，哎》 (body and daily life)
Liang Yue 梁玥 (b.1979)
Song Tao 宋涛 (b.1979), (performance)
Birdhead 鸟头, My pretty Zhang Jiang, 《我美丽的张江》
Zhang Ding 张鼎 (b.1980), Tools 《工具》 (focus on ethnycal minorities’ religious beliefs, and life, as well as attitude of marginal people towards the society.)
Yang Zhenzhong 杨振中 (b.1968), Watching store /《看店》, Don’t Move /《不许动》
(focus on experimental aspects of video art, combination with daily life, internet art)
Shao Yi 邵一 (Religion)
d. Animation film, computer games and other artists/works using new media elements.
Feng Mengbo冯梦波 (b.1966)
Cao Fei 曹斐 (b.1978), China Tracy, 《中国翠西》 (Related to performance)
Tang Mahong唐茂宏 (b.1975), Orchidaceous finger /《兰花指》
Sun Xun 孙逊 (b.1980), Magician / 《魔术师》
Qiu Anxiong 邱黯雄 (b.1972), New classic of the Mountains and Seas,《山海经》
Cao Kai 曹恺 (b.1969) (games)
Wang Peng 王篷 (experimentation of materials)
Zhang Liaoyuan 张辽源 (performance recording)
