The German Reception of China's Contemporary Art Scene
Author
Got, Lucie
Term
4. term
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-05-28
Pages
83
Abstract
Cultural export and exchange can foster cultural understanding and shape how national identities are perceived. China’s rapid social, economic, and political changes have made it a leading producer and exporter of cultural products, often highlighting its rich traditions. This emphasis has reduced the international visibility of China’s contemporary culture compared with other Asian countries. Nonetheless, a movement in Chinese contemporary art that began in the late 1970s became a global phenomenon. In the 1980s and 1990s, Chinese contemporary culture was frequently tied to political engagement; since the 2000s, its expressions have diversified. Media coverage, however, still often links Chinese politics to the contemporary art scene. This thesis asks why the reception of Chinese contemporary art remains politicized. It examines media reports and exhibition reviews using a symbolic interactionist perspective (how meanings are formed through social interaction) and a postmodern approach. Drawing on Connolly’s identity theory (how identities are constructed and contested) and Hall’s encoding/decoding theory (how messages are produced and interpreted), the thesis argues that politics are attached to Chinese contemporary art in ways that maintain normative boundaries and a form of art hegemony.
Kulturel eksport og udveksling kan fremme kulturel forståelse og forme, hvordan nationale identiteter opfattes. Kinas hurtige sociale, økonomiske og politiske forandringer har gjort landet til en ledende producent og eksportør af kulturelle produkter, ofte med fokus på dets rige traditioner. Dette fokus har mindsket den internationale synlighed af Kinas samtidskultur sammenlignet med andre asiatiske lande. Alligevel opstod der i slutningen af 1970’erne en bevægelse inden for kinesisk samtidskunst, som blev et globalt fænomen. I 1980’erne og 1990’erne blev kinesisk samtidskultur ofte knyttet til politisk engagement; siden 2000’erne er udtrykkene blevet mere differentierede. Mediedækningen forbinder dog stadig ofte kinesisk politik med samtidskunstscenen. Specialet undersøger, hvorfor modtagelsen af kinesisk samtidskunst fortsat er politiseret. Det analyserer medieomtaler og udstillingsanmeldelser med en symbolsk-interaktionistisk tilgang (hvordan betydninger skabes gennem social interaktion) og en postmoderne optik. Med afsæt i Connollys identitetsteori (hvordan identiteter konstrueres og udfordres) og Halls teori om kodning/afkodning (hvordan budskaber produceres og fortolkes) argumenterer specialet for, at politik knyttes til kinesisk samtidskunst på måder, der opretholder normative grænser og en form for kunsthegemoni.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]