Sources and Expressions of Chinese and Western Contemporary Art: An Interview with Professor Zhang Gan
“The lack of artistic production in a certain theme does not necessarily mean that our conception of it is weak. When we choose to express a theme, it often means that we urgently need it.”
UCBRC's first online art exhibition, "Home is...?", invites artists from different cultural backgrounds to explore the meaning of "home" through paintings, photography, installations, and other media. As part of the program, we invited Professor Zhang Gan to talk about the concept of home in art and the current situation of Chinese and Western contemporary art. From the concept of home to exhibition culture, from artistic developments to the differences in expression, Professor Zhang provides us with a new perspective for understanding Chinese and Western cultures with critical lucidity.
Zhang Gan is currently a professor at the Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University, Chairman of Art in the Tsinghua University Degree Committee, director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, editor-in-chief of Tsinghua Art Magazine, member of the 8th Council of China Artists Association, and deputy director of the Committee on Art Education at the China Artists Association. He specializes in the study of Renaissance Art History, Western Modern and Contemporary Art History, and the criticism of Chinese Modern and Contemporary Art. Professor Zhang’s major publications include The Victory of Painting? American Victory? —A Study of American Abstract Expressionist Painting, 19th Century European Art—The Rise of Modern Art at the End of the Century, and Compendium of Foreign Art History.
1. What are your opinions on the current exhibition culture and trends in China? Our exhibition, which focuses on “home,” is a non-traditional exhibition initiated by students—what do you think is the role of this kind of spontaneous exhibitions in pushing forward the development of contemporary art?
Chinese museums are still in the process of development. The number of exhibitions is evidently increasing. Therefore, questions like how to organize a good exhibition and how to present an artist comprehensively to the audience are becoming more important and constitute challenges to curators. But overall, more exhibitions mean there are more opportunities for Chinese artists to showcase their work, which is good. As for this exhibition, this kind of cultural communication between China and the West is certainly beneficial, as it helps to broaden perspectives and inspire Chinese artists.
2. The theme of our exhibition is "Home." How do you think this theme is expressed and interpreted in the history of Chinese and Western art? What is the biggest difference between the two? What caused this difference?
In traditional Chinese culture, there are relatively few works that directly express family or family happiness, with occasional representations in New Year pictures. Despite being often absent in artworks, these values form the core of a strong clan system in China. Chinese people feel strongly about "home" and we make it a ritual to return home every New Year. Those from Western cultures are relatively independent, leaving home early to live on their own, so the meaning of home is different for them. However, a similar trend is also appearing in China today, and home ceases to be a constraint for us as well. At the same time, we start to see more and more works that address "home" in the contemporary Chinese art scene. In this sense, the lack of artistic production in a certain theme does not necessarily mean that our conception of it is weak. When we choose to express a theme, it often means that we urgently need it.
3. Recently, there are two types of artists in China—those who graduated from Chinese art institutions and those who returned from studying abroad. Do you think their artistic expressions are different? Do you think there is a tendency that merges the two or do they explore distinct topics?
There are differences. For example, native artists, under academic training, focus greatly on technicality. At the same time, these artists have the anxiety that they are not “contemporary” enough, not Western enough. Artists returning from abroad, on the other hand, have had a greater exposure to contemporary Western works and so are less anxious in these aspects. However, they face the problem of tracing their roots—when they return to China, they need to find ways of expression and themes that correspond to the Chinese environment. However, overall, there is a lack of excellent artists among those who return from abroad.
4. There is a period that contemporary Chinese art emphasized "criticalness." Do you think "criticalness" is the only way for art to influence society? What are other ways that art can influence society?
The functions of art are diverse and not singular. For example, ancient Chinese art theorists emphasized that "paintings can help educate and help others" and believed that art can play a role in moral education. Moreover, "expressing the artist's inner thoughts and personal feelings," "lighting up the mood, cultivating one’s taste," "pursuing beauty, expressing warmth," "recording history or cultural propaganda," etc. are also functions of art. "Criticism" is certainly important, but it is only one aspect of Chinese contemporary art. Aesthetic or fine art can also be regarded as excellent. Therefore, we should not use "criticalness" as the standard to measure contemporary art or frame it as the way art intervenes in society. We should return to the essence of art and think about what art is.
5. In an era of image explosion, do you think there exists the phenomenon where people are getting used to artworks that extol societal virtues and uphold traditional standards of beauty and so they get drawn more to critical art, which can spark more discussion?
There is some sense to this observation. For China, this phenomenon is tied to the lack of theoretical studies on Chinese art. Of course, there are abundant artworks in the West that focus on criticalness. In the book Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980, the authors consolidated the themes that appeared repeatedly in the last thirty years into identity, the body, time, place, language, science, and spirituality, attracting people’s interest from multiple perspectives. In this sense, China’s understanding of contemporary art is relatively narrow, for example, assuming that contemporary art must be critical. In reality, it doesn’t matter which form of language one employs, as long as one develops this language to the fullest, there can be excellent works that are constructive to society.
6. The meanings of some contemporary Chinese artworks are rather obscure and difficult to understand. Without the artist's explanation, it is difficult for the audience to understand. Is this a manifestation of the openness of contemporary art?
This statement is not entirely correct. This phenomenon is partly due to the increasing focus on individual expression in Chinese contemporary art, which is more and more closely related to the artist's personal character and experience. Thus, a lack of understanding of the artwork’s background may lead to confusion or misunderstanding. However, although getting to know the artist's ideas is important, it may also lead us to ignore the artistic and formal aspects of the work, which determines the quality of an artwork. The audience may tend to think that as long as a work is critical, it is enough, but in doing so they fail to see the essence of art. In addition, because contemporary art is too close to our time, it is difficult for us to make a final evaluation of it.
7. It seems like in the Chinese art scene, there is more representational art as compared to abstract art, like works by Pollock, Rothko, and Moore. Why do you think this is so? Is this a difference between Chinese and Western art?
The development of abstract art in China happened quite late. In the early 60s, the China Artists Association strictly condemned abstract art, deeming it to be a symbol of capitalist corruption. It was not until after the Reform and Opening Up that people began to realize the value of abstract beauty. In addition, Chinese culture emphasizes the importance of moderation. Under the influence of this philosophical framework, it is difficult for art to develop to complete abstraction—there will always be embedded representational elements. In comparison, in Western society, the emphasis on developing things to the fullest is conducive to the discourse of artistic forms.
8. What do you think is the difference between Chinese and Western contemporary art in terms of expressing “criticalness”?
I think Western art is more direct, where there are more works that show or expose sensitive social issues such as religious conflict, racial discrimination, or LGBTQ identities. Due to ideological reasons, some topics cannot be fully touched upon in China, which will cause Chinese contemporary art to be constrained at the level of "social criticism." The creation of Western art on the one hand follows the inherent laws of art itself, returning to classics to explore new formal languages; on the other hand, it is a response to social problems and life situations. These two aspects echo each other, and in a relatively free creative environment, artists are able to develop their talents without constraints while expressing their unique identity. Similarly, the promotion and evaluation of art in the West also contain ideological factors. For example, it is more inclined to anti-government themes.
This situation might be misleading for Chinese artists, who might be led to think that we should also be critical in this manner. However, the West has its own cultural traditions and systems of symbols, so we should always maintain our own subjectivity in the process of accepting Western art and creating our own, in search of characteristics that are truly valuable to China. The problem that Chinese artists are facing may be that they have been trapped by Western theories before they have formed their own. We have our own cultural traditions and aesthetic judgments, and we can accept Western views openly. We need to find our own language through this process.
9. Artistic production during the pandemic demonstrates distinctive trends in China and the West. While praising medical staff and boosting morale became the main theme in China, the West produces works that reflect illness, death, and societal problems at large. Do you think this also manifests a critical difference in expression between Chinese and Western art?
I think so. Some theorists in China also reflect on this difference, which is somewhat related to the system’s shackling of public opinions. For example, during the pandemic, there is this uniform trend in China to highlight the work of medical staff in saving lives, but rarely are the pain, despair, and struggles of human nature represented. However, even though we can’t break away from the restraints, there are always artists who are smart enough to express their thoughts in a nuanced manner and thereby dance with the chains. In fact, a similar phenomenon can be observed in the history of Western art. Despite the rigid requirements of patrons, there are still many artists who were able to circumvent restrictions and make breakthroughs. The courage and inspiration for individual expression are exactly what we need at this moment.
10. Nowadays, art seems more and more to be serving social purposes. The study of art history has gradually shifted from a focus on artwork themselves to one on the subject of their expression, thus the criticism of weapons became the weapons of criticism. Looking back to the early 20th century, theorists represented by Greenberg emphasized the formal elements of art, but now in the 21st century we seem to have returned to the old discussion on the content. Do you think this trajectory speaks to the fluidity of artistic development?
Yes, I think so. We can observe that the development of art goes through a cyclical process from content to form, and then from form back to content. The content-oriented periods usually last longer. In fact, content is the main factor that ultimately determines the value of a work. However, the definition of "content" is open, and it does not necessarily mean "storytelling." Formal elements such as dots, lines, and color fields that we see in the American Abstract Expressionist paintings can be considered as content as well. A “good” work of art is one that has a high degree of coherence between its form and content.
Interviewer: Diana Xiaoruo Cao (Arts and Culture Team)
Translated and edited by Nancy Chu, Diana Cao, Yanni Li
