Since the 1920s, Chinese art has embarked on an exploration of its cultural richness and complexity through international exhibitions, gradually integrating into the global artistic landscape. Within this context, China's participation in the Venice Biennale represents a synthesis of Chinese cultural wealth, utilizing 'Chinese characters' as a tool for cultural dissemination. An analysis of China's exhibition journey highlights three significant moments associated with 'Chinese characters': Xu Bing's 'Book from the Sky' (1993), Hsiao Chin's 'The Boat' (2000), and Gu Wenda's 'United Nations' (2017). This study critically examines these experiences, investigating the interaction between cultural exploration and representation within the Biennale. Grounded in debates on global art and multiculturalism, contemporary Chinese art, and its international projection, as well as the history of Chinese participation in international exhibitions and the Venice Biennale since the twentieth century, the research evaluates the impact of the Biennale’s curatorial principles on these participations. It explores how artists have investigated and expressed their cultural reflections through their works, contributing to the dialogue on cultural diversity and articulating values from the perspective of contemporary global art. The analysis delves into the cultural strategies implemented by artists in the context of globalized exhibitions, highlighting a state of cultural contamination that prompts critical reflection and an assessment of its impact on the reinvention of the Chinese contribution to the future narrative of global art history. This opens new investigative horizons and suggests future research directions.

Authors:
Rui Ji, University of Bologna, Italy

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Rui Ji's research interests focus on the history of China's overseas exhibitions within a global art context, including the Venice Biennale and the history of Chinese contemporary art, from multicultural and cross-cultural perspectives.

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rui-Ji-18

Additional website of interest
https://unibo.academia.edu/RuiJi

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

Bookmark