So, I'm at the party for the show, Untitled (Vicarious): Photographing the Constructed Image, on view at Gagosian Gallery and who do I meet but Vik Muniz who currently has a great show up at Sikkema Jenkins. This conceptual artist always gives you a lot to see and think about--this time he has meticulously reconstructed the underside of masterpieces, so all you seen is the back of the frames and the provenance labels--and I would never doubt his tastes which are impeccable. So, he tells me he's working on a project in Beijing. He will garb 600 students at the Central Academy in grey, black and white sweatsuits, then arrange them into a tableaux vivant of a pixalated photographic image. He's doing this as a project with Coca Cola and China is the perfect place to do to get together a choreographed mass of people.
But Muniz made it quite clear that he was less than impressed with the Chinese art scene. "There's certainly alot of it, but I only like maybe two artists, Ai Weiwei and the guy with the silver boulders", he told me, referring to Zhang Wan, who I think is terribly superficial. As much as I was tempted to argue with Muniz--after all, he made me feel like a fool to have devoted so much of my time to a bad art scene--I felt he was on to something important. Japan impresses someone like Muniz, an avid traveler, but China, especially Beijing, is downright declasse and cheap in comparison. The way the art seems mass-produced only adds to the impression of a city with a scintilla of grace or design, despite the latest architectural Olympic additions. I can't argue with that. I just said, China is difficult. But, it wasn't the difficulties that rubbed this artist the wrong way, it was the lack of taste. The thing that confounded him is how this art scene had grown so large and so successful without the elements that he views as essential to culture--style, grace, thoughtfulness, ideas. But, for me, that's the fascinating thing about the Beijing art scene: it is a total extravaganza of bad-ness (bad ideas and bad art) that represents the epitome of art at this moment in the 21st century. After all, if Damien Hirst can raise $170 million in two days for highly commercial Hirst knock-offs, whose to say that China isn't entitled to produce an entire art market doing the same thing. In fact, one can argue, Hirst learned from China. In that light, even artists as talented as Vik Muniz come off as second-tier wannabes, who can't quite understand how their good intentions and self-discipline is getting in their way.
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3 comments:
Good thing I wasn't drinking! ;)
Vik Muniz.
I am intrigued by the repeated statement made here and elsewhere that the Chinese contemporary scene is somehow crass and qualitatively deficient. Before looking for myself, I had read so much about the Chinese art factories churning out version after version of the same thing that I came to the work full of preconceived notions and ready to look down my nose. Indeed my initially negative reactions to artists such as Zeng Fanzhi and Zhang Xiaogang were driven by these preconceptions that what I was seeing was empty and derivative.
Today, my opinion could not be more different -- and I am convinced that the Chinese art scene reflects a unique moment in global culture and that several important artists have already emerged (including the two cited above) from this sandbox of creativity. Furthermore, in particular areas, such as photography and installation, the Chinese artists make much of our American practice look downright mannered, lifeless, and tiresomely endgame.
Having now spent time in both Beijing and Shanghai, there is no question that much of what is on view is not very interesting. But then again, the same could be said of Chelsea. Since when have we expected such a high batting average of our own western gallery scenes and fairs? Fresh from a tour of Chelsea, I can safely say that the sea of derivative work laps equally on both shores. To be sure, there are stand-out shows, including Vik's at Sikkema Jenkins. But similarly Zeng Fanzhi at ShanghArt and Yang Yongliang at OFOTO were stand-outs that last time I was in Shanghai.
I for one am excited by the great artists that I see emerging from China, and will simply ignore the rest the same way I ignore the drivel in Chelsea. Chinese contemporary art is as diverse and as variable in quality as any other art, albeit with an energy level that is hard to match. I don't see why we need to lump it all into a single practice and give it a single label as to its quality. Such crass cultural stereotyping is something to be avoided!
After Robert's detailed account of his experience of chinese art, I feel the need to clarify my position:
My conversation with the author happened in a completely informal way in a loud party over drinks. I told her then of my confusion and inability to make sense out of the Chinese art scene and that I worried if it was not my being out of touch with the scene in Chelsea that had something to do with it as well. For one thing, my nine-day-trip to China left me with more questions than answers about what's going on over there. I spoke of my disappointment with my trip and that possibly had something to do with my exceedingly high expectations prior to my arrival there as well.
I positively don't I have any authority to speak on the subject of contemporary Chinese art, but I have to admit that I have become more intrigued by Chinese art hearing from those who seem to know about it and have a formed opinion of it than from my own and perhaps misguided experience over there.
Thanks Robert for the additional info, and Barbara, I think I should be more prepared to talk about art in after opening parties.
Best,
Vik
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