‘How Chinese is ‘Chinese contemporary art’? and/or How Japanese is ‘Japanese contemporary art’?

The question of how intrinsically ‘Chinese’ Chinese contemporary art is, or how inherently ‘Japanese’ Japanese contemporary art remains, reflects broader challenges faced by non-Western countries in defining cultural identity within a global context dominated by Western artistic paradigms. This essay explores how contemporary art in China and Japan engage with cultural traditions, histories, and identities while interacting with global artistic movements. This essay will highlight how Chinese contemporary art often signifies a departure from pre-westernisation traditions, like literati ink paintings. Similarly, Japanese postwar art, highlighted by Shinichiro Osaki’s “Body and Place: Action in Postwar Art in Japan” saw artists such as the Gutai group emphasising physical interaction with the environment, contrasting with traditional aesthetics. Both movements created art that is uniquely local yet globally resonant. Further to this, western modernism profoundly influences both Chinese and Japanese contemporary art. Hiroki Azuma’s “Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals” and Thomas R. H. Havens’ “Radicals and Realists in the Japanese Nonverbal Arts” show how artists incorporate global and local influences, producing works that are both culturally distinct and universally contemporary. Artists like Ai Weiwei critique both local and global structures, reflecting a global dialogue rooted in Chinese experiences. By examining contemporary Chinese and Japanese art, it is clear these art forms cannot be confined to singular cultural identities. Instead, they reflect a complex interplay of influences, challenging and expanding the definitions of ‘Chinese’ and ‘Japanese’ art, and highlighting the diversity of these contemporary artistic expressions.

Chinese contemporary art often marks a departure from pre-westernisation traditions, such as literati ink paintings, which are emblematic of Chinese cultural heritage. This transition is similar to the shifts observed in Japanese postwar art, where artists sought to break free from traditional forms. Shinichiro Osaki’s “Body and Place: Action in Postwar Art in Japan” highlights how Japanese artists like Jiro Yoshihara and the Gutai group emphasised the body’s interaction with the environment, a stark contrast to the restrained and delicate aesthetics of traditional Japanese art.[1] Movements like Gutai broke from both Western and traditional Japanese art forms, creating something uniquely Japanese yet globally resonant. The emphasis on physical presence and interaction with the environment can be traced back to traditional Japanese performance arts, even as they innovatively critique and reinterpret these forms. Similarly, Chinese contemporary artists, such as Xu Bing and his use of ‘Song style’ printmaking in “Book from the Sky” move away from the traditional meaning behind the Chinese characters while still grounding the piece in the aesthetic quality of traditional Chinese ink painting in order to explore new conceptual art forms. Therefore, attempts to establish and identify solely Chinese or Japanese elements in this evolving artwork is restrictive.

Moreover, both Chinese and Japanese contemporary art movements have been heavily influenced by Western modernism. Hiroki Azuma, in “Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals”, discusses how Japanese pop culture, influenced by Western consumerism, created a “database” of fragmented cultural elements.[2] This idea can be applied to Chinese contemporary art, which also draws from a vast pool of global and local influences, creating works that are both distinctly Chinese and universally contemporary. This is further reinforced byThomas R. H. Havens, in “Radicals and Realists in the Japanese Nonverbal Arts” as he examines how Japanese artists engage with Western avant-garde movements while retaining a unique Japanese perspective.[3] Chinese contemporary artists similarly navigate this balance. For instance, Ai Weiwei’s work often critiques both Chinese political structures and Western cultural assumptions, positioning his art within a global dialogue while remaining rooted in Chinese experiences.

Partha Mitter’s concept of ‘decentering modernity’ is crucial in understanding the hybrid nature of contemporary Chinese art. In “Decentering Modernism: Art History and Avant-Garde Art from the Periphery”, Mitter argues that non-Western artists are often included in the global art scene primarily because they align with Western avant-garde discourse.[4] Mitter argues that non-Western modernisms should not be seen as mere imitations of Western art but as dynamic, localised responses to global modernity. In the context of Chinese art, avant-garde exhibitions in China, such as Ai Weiwei’s “Fuck Off,” were partially aimed at foreign audiences. This particular exhibition attracted diplomats and foreign expats, anticipating that the Chinese public might resist the avant-garde art on display.Such exhibitions were later promoted in the West, where they gained significant recognition. The commercial market for contemporary Chinese art is also dominated by Western galleries and auction houses. Despite high valuations in the Western market, there remains an implicit view that non-Western modernism is derivative and lacks originality. When looking at the effects of the global art market and scholarly discourse which is largely dominated by the West, certain expectations are imposed on what non-Western contemporary art should be. However, artists like Xu Bing and Ai Weiwei consciously appropriate and transform these influences, making deliberate choices that reflect their unique cultural and personal experiences.

In conclusion, the question ‘How Chinese is ‘Chinese contemporary art’? and/or How Japanese is ‘Japanese contemporary art’? reveal the intricacies of cultural identity in a globalised art world. Contemporary Chinese and Japanese art challenge and expand the definitions of both ‘Chinese’ and ‘Japanese,’ and ‘contemporary,’ creating works deeply rooted in their respective cultures while engaging with global artistic discourses. This redefinition underscores the limitations of essentialising cultural identities and highlights the multitude of layers within contemporary art from these regions, demonstrating that these artworks are not confined to a singular cultural identity but are reflective of a complex interplay of influences and contexts.

Bibliography

Azuma, H. (2009). Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Havens, T. R. (2006). Radicals and Realists in the Japanese Nonverbal Arts: The Avant-Garde Rejection of Modernism. Hawai’i: University of Hawai’i Press.

Mitter, P. (2008). Decentering Modernism: Art History and Avant-Garde Art from the Periphery. The Art Bulletin, 531-548.

Osaki, S. (1998). Body and Place: Action in Postwar Art in Japan. In P. Schimmel, K. Stiles, & C. Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, Out of actions: between performance and the object, 1949-1979 (pp. 121-157). London: Thames and Hudson.

[1] Osaki, S. (1998). Body and Place: Action in Postwar Art in Japan. In P. Schimmel, K. Stiles, & C. Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, Out of actions: between performance and the object, 1949-1979 (pp. 121-157). London: Thames and Hudson.

[2] Azuma, H. (2009). Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

[3] Havens, T. R. (2006). Radicals and Realists in the Japanese Nonverbal Arts: The Avant-Garde Rejection of Modernism. Hawai’i: University of Hawai’i Press.

[4] Mitter, P. (2008). Decentering Modernism: Art History and Avant-Garde Art from the Periphery. The Art Bulletin, 531-548.