Arthub Favorite: Week Nine
As what do you identify? How do you define your own cultural background? In what ways do you emphasize your culture without perpetuating stereotypes or projecting unintended symbolism?
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected – thanks to advancing technology and transportation – our identities are not only influenced by our local community, but also by the international influences that have begun to permeate all aspects of our lives. With this in mind Arthub has selected the exhibition EXOTIC STRANGER at Galerie Paris-Beijing as our weekly favorite.
Duration: March 12th – April 30th, 2016
About Exotic Stranger
In his anthology Stranger Shores published in 2011, J. M. Coetzee expressed his frustration with his own dual identity–he was both a European descendant, but also a South African. He adhered to standard European literary traditions, so with the globalization of literature he took issue. He was pursuing literary transcendence, but couldn’t ignore the political functions involved. From his frustration was born a sense of isolation and cultural disassociation, which he presents (albeit in somewhat of an ambiguous manifestation) in his book title, i.e. his reference to ‘stranger’. Here he could be implying a shore ‘more strange’ or ‘a strange individual’, the latter of which nods to either himself and/or the writers he analyzes in the book.
For contemporary artists in China, such ‘Coetzee style’ frustrations manifest in different ways. On the one hand, Chinese contemporary artists have massive international influence within the art world, but the cultural images that represent them are biased and lagged. The Eastern symbol of artistic modernity is still perceived as ‘the other’, with strong political undertones. On the other hand, creative platforms which were shaped under the influence of Western culture and have birthed Chinese contemporary art are only disseminated and recognized in small underground communities in China. This artistic expression is devoid of a common and public sense of belonging. Like Coetzee, Chinese contemporary art suffers from a dual identity – by the West it is regarded as a stranger, and in the East (within its own motherland) it is labeled with a derogatory foreignness.
Due to these unwelcoming perceptions, many Chinese artists try to link their work with their own localized experiences, all the while remaining conscious that in doing so they may become stereotypical examples of multi-culturalism. Being socially aware of how their own identity may impact their work means they are careful to avoid cliched Eastern symbols and figures with strong political connotations. If they can be accepted, Chinese artists offer the Western world insight into an alienated heterogeneity that lies beyond the boundaries of their multiculturally diverse European context.
Curator: Bao Dong
Artists: Cai Lei, Chen Xiaoyun, Chen Yufan + Chen Yujun, Gong Jian, He Xiangyu, Jiang Zhi, Li Jinghu, Liu Qingyuan, Shi Qing, Song Kun, Weng Yunpeng, Xin Yunpeng, Xu Zhen, Yang Maoyuan
Please see here fore more details about the exhibition.