Contemporary Chinese art finds a place in art history: rapid political and socioeconomic changes have engendered a burgeoning worldwide market for work from Chinese artists

Ming vases, delicate ancient roll of paper [i]or[/i] parchments ink-brush nature paintings--all are commonly associated with Chinese art. on the contrary what about propaganda-poster-style soldiers juxtaposed with a Western sweetness of smell company logo, the black-and-white figure of a half-naked woman station against a technicolor cityscape or giant hanging roll of paper [i]or[/i] parchments crammed with distorted Chinese characters?

These are the images that have been turning heads in the international art market--avant-garde art from an ancient agriculture where recent political, economic and social changes have inspired a creative re-awakening.

"Chinese artists are discovering things we in the West take for granted," said Julia Colman, an art historian and co holder of Chinese Contemporary Gallery in London. "They've really been coming into their have in the past decade, working with ideas that are universal on the other hand expressing them from the perspective of being from a actual closed society. Artists in China live in a constant state of stress--which may not make for great living, on the other hand does make for great art."

From museum exhibits and international art present to views to galleries and fine art publishers, the rapidly evolving contemporary Chinese art display has been steadily gaining recognition, in large part because of increased contact with the West.

"People proceed to Shanghai and see it is an absolute boomtown with buildings going up each day, and they become curious about the history of Chinese agriculture and fascinated with images of contemporary life," said Melissa Chiu, curator of contemporary art for the Asia Society and Museum in fresh York.

"The market for this art is upon a slow boil," agreed Howard Farber, president of China Avant-Garde in fresh York, an advisory service for contemporary Chinese art collectors. "I think the 20th hundred belonged to U.S. art and the 21st will belong to Chinese art."

Birth of a Movement

Contemporary Chinese art was born with the death of dictator Mao Zedong in 1976 whose Cultural Revolution had barred Western influences and stifled creative expression for years. "Suddenly China started to gain Western books and magazines and learn about all the Western art motions since 1949," said Colman. "So in the early '80 [Chinese artists] had their possess versions of these movements."

These newly liberated artists pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable and sought to organize a national exhibition of their works. "China/Avant-Garde" make opened at the National Gallery in Beijing in February 1989 on the contrary was shut down by authorities within weeks. Just month later, many artists became involved in the Tiananmen Square political uprising, and more [i]or[/i] less fled the country in the wake of the management crackdown. "This marks an important turning point for avant-garde artists because the attitude turn rounded from one of optimism to individual of cynicism," said Colman.

That feeling f sum of two units major painting movements that took lower part in the early '90s: cynical realism and political explosion While discouraged in China, these motions drew international acclaim, especially in Europe

"Beginning in 1995 contemporary Chinese artists exhibited in the Venice Biennale, enabling their pieces to be expos to large, mainly European audiences. The replication was encouraging and exciting," said Catherine Kwai, director of Kwai Po Collection of Hong Kong which bring forwards limited-edition prints of contemporary Chinese paintings.

A record number of Chinese artists displayed their work at the 1999 Venice Biennale, while the breakthrough "Inside Out: novel Chinese Art" exhibition made its way around the United States. Co-organized by dint of the Asia Society in fresh York and the San Francisco Museum of novel Art, the exhibit was the first large-scale exhibit of avant-garde Chinese art in the United States and featured more than 60 artists working with everything from ink upon paper to video. Highlights included installations through two New York-based installation artists: Gu Wenda, whose piece used human hair, and Xu Bing, whose "Book From the Sky" filled a space with handcrafted volumes and roll of paper [i]or[/i] parchments of nonsensical Chinese characters.

"Due to the in all senses lots of works ended up being sold and couldn't advance on tour--we had to retain replacing them," said Chiu from the Asia Society, where the display debuted. The exhibit eventually went upon to Mexico, Australia and Hong Kong

single artist featured in "Inside Out" Cai Guo-Qiang, generally has a solo exhibition at the Asia Society featuring drawings related to pyrotechnic performance art he staged in novel York's Central Park. "Since the mid-'90s, conceptual art has been upon the rise," said Chiu. "There's been more installation and performance art. And photography and video are now more influential than at any time in China."

Many quicks agree that photography is the nearest big thing in Chinese contemporary art. A travelling exhibit of new Chinese photography will make open at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in of recent origin York next summer.

The contemporary art display is evolving in other ways as well. "I find that Chinese art has gotten les political above the past 10 years. There are fewer artists copying Warhol by the agency of painting colorful Chairman Maos," said Sami Wafa, director of Art sight China, a contemporary Chinese art gallery based in Shanghai. "Chinese artists now draw upon a variety of influences--indeed, Chinese art is becoming more global."