"ASIANART" - CHINABLUE IN BERLIN
Chinablue Gallery / Beijing till 7th October 2007
XIONG Yu, CHEN Bo, ZHOU Wenzhong, QIU Xiaofei, WANG Chengyun und WANG Qingsong
Curator: Tereza de Arruda
Opening: September 6th, 7:30 pm
Exhibition: September 7th till October 5th 2007, daily 11 am to 9 pm
In cooperation with the Asian Pacific Weeks 2007
'Chinablue in Berlin' celebrates the first participation of the renowned Chinese art gallery, Chinablue, on the German art scene.
This exhibition has been organised in conjunction with ASIANART - Contemporary Asian art in Berlin Mitte and takes place in the context of the Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin and the Kunstherbst 2007.
ASIANART wishes to create a significant cultural resonance and continuity between all of the countries and partners involved in the project. Berlin Mitte represents the perfect platform for Asian cultures in the capital city during the Asia-Pacific Weeks, because this is where the emergence of the contemporary Berlinese culture has taken place itself.
No other country has caused more intense debate in the media over the past few years than China. A world power appears to be developing: the so-called "Red China AG". She is still a paradox of traditions from feudal times, a communist party leadership, and an emerging global economic superpower.
China's startling presence has similarly been felt in art world. In recent sales at the most famous of auction houses such as Sotheby's for instance, it has been announced that in fact it has been new buyers from China who have bought a lot of the work by the very greatest of post-war icons. Some of them are passionate collectors but the majority are collecting for investment purposes only.
Even if the contemporary Chinese Art develops in this duality, it conquered a niche on the international market in the past years. But luckily their interests are not limited just to the commercial area and a number of famous international institutions deal with contemporary Chinese Art creating a platform between different cultures.
"Chinablue in Berlin" qualifies as a further link in this process of development. The exhibition shows paintings of Xiong Yu, Chen Bo, Zhou Wenzhong and Qiu Xiaofei for the very first time in Berlin, as well as new works by Wang Chengyun.
These exhibiting artists hold painting as their common medium, but they handle it using very different styles, which have been developed individually and away from stereotypes. "Chinablue in Berlin" also shows a special contribution from the artist Wang Qingsong, whose critically and ironically produced photographs have already become a reference point on the contemporary Chinese art scene. I have been able to visit these artists and make a selection of their works for the exhibition during various research trips I have carried out in China. These artists work has received an excellent reception from the local and international art scene in the past few years.
The art works presented in the Exhibition "Chinablue in Berlin" guide us to a further spectrum of the contemporary Chinese art scene. They act also as testimonies to the current reality of the country. They lead us through deep confrontations, which are important elements in an approach process between different cultures.
Tereza de Arruda
Berlin, July 2007
