Joshua Gong

The book features dream-space photo collages created by Xu Xiaowei. By combining visual representations of objects and places with ready-made images that randomly appear and disappear in contemporary Chinese society, the artist reinvents his memories. The artwork reflects the personal turmoil experienced in the face of rapid changes in Chinese society. Through non-linear and fragmentary stories that unfold in a dystopian fantasy world that is both pre-modern and post-industrial, the artist tries to convey this agitation. Using reconstructed photographs, the artist constructs a space of memory that lies somewhere between the tangible and the absurd.

Hsiao Chin spent his formative years in Europe experiencing the Western Modern Art movement. As a leading post-war Asian artist, he has contributed immensely to the development of avant-garde art and established himself prominently in the modern abstract movement in Asia. As a co-founder of Punto Movement in Milan during 1961-1966, Hsiao is the first and only post-war Chinese artist attempting to convey Eastern philosophical ideas and the concepts of mindfulness and self-contemplation in the Western pictorial language of abstraction. Hsiao’s works are not only artistic representations of Asian philosophy but, in a broader context, are an intellectualised expression of Asian ideas in their essential forms. The understanding of the entire post-war avant-garde art scene would not be complete without mentioning Hsiao Chin and the Punto Movement, along with American Abstract Expressionism, French Lyrical Abstraction, and Japanese Gutai. This book records 13 Punto exhibitions, which demonstrates Hsiao’s contribution to the international cultural realm throughout his artistic career. Included here are in-depth articles on Hsiao‘s historical significance in the twentieth century. The book also introduces his iconic oeuvres over the last six decades; work that reconciles Eastern and Western art prospects.

This book explores the structure and evolution of art education systems between China and the UK since the 21st century. Through related art exhibition projects, artistic displays, and interactions between artists in educational and social spheres, it illustrates the mutual learning and shared progress of civilisations in the era of globalisation. Both China and the UK have historically and contemporaneously exerted significant global influence, with their artistic exchanges playing a pivotal role in post-colonial educational systems. By showcasing each other’s art in public spaces, audiences engage in dialogue, enhancing mutual understanding, recognising differences, and fostering a shared vision for a future community of common destiny. The book covers exhibitions at institutions such as the British Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) London, the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University, the Downing College Xiang Art Gallery at Cambridge University, the Shanghai Museum, the Long Museum (Shanghai), the West Bund Art Museum, the Yinchuan Contemporary Art Museum, and the CAFA Art Museum. Featured artists include J. M. W. Turner, George Chinnery, Antony Gormley, Zhang Enli, Wang Dongling, Fang Lijun, and Sui Jianguo, among others.

The book portrays the journey of artist Xie Shan, who dedicated his life to painting despite suffering from cornea thinning (keratoconus), auditory hallucinations and congenital schizophrenia. As a self-taught artist, Xie Shan’s exploration was purely based on visual experience. As a result of a rare sight condition and a cornea transplant in his early 20s, he attempted to capture subject matter with brilliant colour and extraordinary plasticity on canvas. Xie Shan had a challenging career path but remained resilient and persisted through the difficulties. His art style and sensibility go against the conventions of the modern art world, making his work original and unique. The book’s visual and narrative potential make it a contemporary revelation of the myth of being a painter.

Contemporary Chinese art has played a significant role in contributing to art globalisation; meanwhile, the trajectory of modernisation of art in China has not been rendered explicitly. This book aims to explore the context of Chinese art from the 20th to the 21st century, from three aspects: society, the individual and art forms. It is hoped to inject new vitality into the current obscure art historiography. The complicated issue regarding how to position globalisation and national identity is well discussed throughout the book, addressing the hardcore research questions in the field. This research selects the nine most representative artists: Lin Fengmian, Wu Dayu, Sanyu, Zao Wou-ki, Wu Guanzhong, Su Tianci, Wang Jieyin, Zhang Enli and Chen Yujun.