Spirit of the Time: The World of Chinese Contemporary Art

They produce works that have reverberated round the world. From Beijing to Yunnan, a group of artists – known as contemporary or avant-garde – are painting, sculpting, photographing, and installing images of China as they see it. They create works in their own likeness in the name of cynical-realism; they paint updated landscapes that are a world away from traditional Chinese works, or burn Cultural Revolution materials to form collages of Mao – and the international art world is intrigued. Increasingly, Chinese contemporary art is hot, very hot!

This series visits the world of China’s big-name artists. We observe them at work, visit their inner circles, and listen to their observations about their Motherland. We find out how these artists – who once upon a time knew nothing about selling their works – are coping with earnest collectors begging for new paintings, ever-demanding galleries, and even officials who now see them as China’s “new ambassadors" to the World.

Available Territories: Australia, New Zealand and Latin America only.