Art exhibition 'Beyond the Border' opens -- china.org.cn

An exhibition of Chinese modern art named "Beyond the Border" opened at the No. 10 Art Gallery in Chengdu on June 28 and will run till August 18. Dozens of works by six artists (Li Changlong, Luo Jie, Wang Fenghua, Wang Jing, Zhang Dan and Zheng Da) are on display.

Artists and curator: (From L to R) Wang Fenghua, Wang Jing, Zhang Dan, Zheng Na, Zheng Da, Luo Jie and Li Changlong.

Artists and curator: (From L to R) Wang Fenghua, Wang Jing, Zhang Dan, Zheng Na, Zheng Da, Luo Jie and Li Changlong. [sohu.com]

Zheng Na, the curator of the exhibition, said: "The six artists are from Xi'an, Chengdu, Hubei and other regions. They use various art forms such as oil painting, soft sculpture, landscape installation and new media. The works both interact with each other and display strong individual creativity."

According to the organizers, "border" means an indistinct space that stands between the right and the left and keeps its own individuality in pragmatics. It is also a multivalent space that grows continuously. The Chinese modern cultural landscape is developing beyond the border.

Li Changlong's 'It's probably here', landscape installation.

Li Changlong's "It's probably here", landscape installation. [sohu.com]

The exhibition aims to discover and classify the latest art works nationwide without reference to government. The works are by artists of all ages and from all parts of China. The exhibition also serves as a platform for young or unknown artists to communicate their practice and thinking. It is attempting to explore the possible directions of future culture as it develops in the spaces between the real landscape and the virtual world, the new urban culture, and personal experience.

Viewers looking at works in the Chengdu art exhibition 'Beyond the Border'.

Viewers looking at works in the Chengdu art exhibition "Beyond the Border". [sohu.com]

Chinese modern art has passed through a number of stages over the past 30 years, such as avant-garde, depicting scars and traumas, pop art, urban life, and the recent cross-border art form. It is presently facing a complicated environment in the context of globalization. The dispute about modernism is far from over, while the influence of post-modernism has spread across China providing inspiration for new art works.

(China.org.cn by Ren Zhongxi, July 2, 2009)