Exhibiting Experimental Art in China

In this book, Wu Hung raises timely questions about artistic freedom and censorship. Here, as in the Smart Museum's exhibition Canceled: Exhibiting Experimental Art in China, Wu uses the government's cancellation of the exhibition It's Me (Beijing, 1998) to anchor his analysis of the challenges faced by contemporary Chinese artists and curators.

During this time of rapid change in mainland China, artists and curators are seeking new ways to show work, and finding new allies, patrons and audiences. They are investigating ways to respond to official antagonism, to realize the potential of experimental art in the public sphere, and to maintain the independence of this art in an increasingly commercialized society.

Wu addresses these issues through a survey of current exhibition practices, a discussion of the Smart Museum exhibition, a case study of It's Me, a rich collection of primary materials from eleven recent exhibitions. By introducing readers to the complex milieu of experimental artists and curators in China, Wu makes a major contribution to the growing scholarship on contemporary Chinese culture.

Author

Wu Hung

Publication date

February 2000

Description

Paper, 224 pages, 111 color plates, 29 halftones

ISBN

978-0935573336

Purchase this catalogue

Available for $40 online through the University of Chicago Press or in person at the Smart Museum Shop