Turning Point: Contemporary Art in China since 2000

Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum is pleased to present “Turning Point: Contemporary Art in China Since 2000”, a group show of contemporary Chinese art. Professor Yi Ying, renowned art historian and critic, will take the role as the academic moderator of the exhibition. Featuring 52 artists/artist collectives in total, the exhibition will occupy the whole first floor of the museum and present work ranging from painting, sculpture, installation to video and animation. The exhibition will open to the public on July 23 and run through September 4.

Highlighting the year 2000 as a key time concept, the exhibition intends to probe into the various changes, emerging trends of thought as well as social problems ever since then and to cast light on the responses contemporary art has made. The exhibition focuses mainly on two “turning points”, or say two types of “transition”–that from easel art to conceptual art and from form to social significance. To be more specific, the former refers to the fact that in the wake of the development of the linguistic nature of contemporary art, the linear evolution of art since mid-80s came to an end. Compared to art back in the 90s which featured painting mainly, it has now become more diverse and conceptual. The latter stresses on the changes of the writing of contemporary art. Attention has been shifted from the logic embedded in the form to social movements, social significance, social problems (i.e. urban space, land and ethnic groups) and the demonstration of the different experiences. In the meantime, with the increasing involvement of the internet, films, televisions, high-tech and new media, the art form has witnessed continuous development as it is equipped with the capacity to present new visual forms of expression in line with the development of the society.

With a focus on the status quo of the Chinese contemporary art and the driving force behind it, Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum will present a selected groups of works produced since 2000. These works cast light on how artists think about art, the evolution of social concepts as well as the progress and destiny of Chinese contemporary society from a variety of perspectives. Collectively, they form a big picture illustrating the transition witnessed in the Chinese contemporary art scene since the new century.

A themed symposium will be organized during the exhibition and scholars from different disciplines will be invited to share their views upon art, philosophy and various social issues. Public educational programmes accompanying the exhibition will include talks and a series of workshops.