Talk


CHINA IN ASIA/ASIA IN CHINA: Imagining Asia in Contemporary Chinese Art

April 18, 2012
Columbia University

116th St and Broadway
New York, NY

Columbia University and Asia Art Archive in America co-organized a panel discussion: China in Asia/Asia in China: Imagining Asia in Contemporary Chinese Art.

Panelists included:
Zoe Butt, Executive Director and Curator of Sàn Art, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tsong-zung Chang, Curator, Critic and Director of Hanart T Z Gallery, Hong Kong
Doryun Chong, Associate Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, Museum of Modern Art
Alexandra Munroe, Samsung Senior Curator of Asian Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Qiu Zhijie, Professor of The School of Intermedia Art, China Art Academy, Hangzhou, China
Eugene Y. Wang, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor of Asian Art, Harvard University

Introduced by John Rajchman, Professor of Art History, Columbia University, and moderated by Jane DeBevoise, Chair of Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong and New York.

Politically, economically, and even environmentally, China has powerful ties to neighboring countries in Asia. But what about cultural ties? Historically, cultural exchange between China and Asia was frequent and often transformative. But since the second half of the 20th century these exchanges have been limited.

From the perspective of contemporary visual art practice, this panel interrogated the role of China in Asia and Asia in China from multiple perspectives. Acknowledging that the concept of Asia itself is a construct which has been put to multiple purposes in the 20th century, this panel looked at how projects in this Asian space have begun to emerge in the imaginary of contemporary practice in China, particularly in the last five years. This panel also explored how China figures in the imaginary of artists today, and in particular artists working in India, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

For documentations of  the panel discussion, please see below:

A Presentation by Zoe Butt

A Paper by Chang Tsong-zung

A Presentation by Eugene Wang

A Presentation by Alexandra Munroe

A Presentation by Doryun Chong

A Presentation by Qiu Zhiji