Gaudy Art 艳俗艺术
From ArtSpeak China (ASC) Wiki
Gaudy Art joined Cynical Realism and Political Pop in the tidal wave of artistic expression that swept China in the 1990s. Gaudy art references popular culture and consumerism in colorful, over-the-top ceramic and resin sculptures by the Luo Brothers, Xu Yihui, and others.[1] In the mid-1990s, art critic Li Xianting coined the term Yansu to name a movement which combined the bright aesthetics of folk with consumer culture. From the words yan (garish) and su (vulgar), Yansu was later translated into “gaudy” to refer to the Chinese art phenomenon. With the 1996 exhibitions of “Rogue Life,” “Model for the Masses,” “Brightly Coloured Peach and Plum Blossoms among the Ruins,” and “The Damage from the Flooding of China,” Gaudy Art emerged as a new, popular trend. It reflected on society’s loss of ideals and the excess of the artist. Li Xianting believes “it demonstrates the powerlessness of art to the impact on the pervasiveness of consumerism in today’s reality.”
The movement comments on the meaningless reproduction of traditional themes. The artist, in turn, becomes a witty commentator on contemporary life, but falls prey to his or her own commentary. For example, in 1999, Xu Yihui constructed an altar eulogy to contemporary art on which he used used ceramic flower plate calligraphy to write “shit.” His profanity is a pun on and homophone of the Chinese word “shi” (history.)[2]
[edit] References
- ↑ Chiu, Melissa. Chinese Contemporary Art: 7 Things You Should Know. New York: AW Asia, 2008.
- ↑ Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture. Edited by Edward L. Davis. Routledge, New York. 2008. ISBN 9780415777162
