Re-experimentation: a reaffirmation of enlightenment and will--Young Artists Promotional Exhibition will open in 798 art district in Sep.

Monitor, Ye Nan

In Chinese contemporary art, the concept of ‘experimental art’ is actually a skeptical revision of the concept of ‘avant-garde’. It is skeptical of the concept’s historical oracular tone, and revises its group movement model. Therefore, what ‘experimental’ emphasizes is the unpredictability of developments in art history, and the individuality of artistic practice. The phenomenon of experimental art was the most important dimension of Chinese contemporary art in the 1990’s. The widespread yet sparse experimental art practices of the time brought self-consciousness and a mentality of self-examination to Chinese contemporary art, and extended the field of artistic practice.

The ‘experimental’ dimension, however, has not received much attention in the recent art market boom. Certain aspects of experimental art, such as ‘anti-art’, have an especially hard time gaining support from the market. When the market forms a monolithic discourse, the artistic subjective qualities of will and enlightenment gradually lose vitality, to the point that subjectivity itself begins to falter.

But ‘experimentation’ has not disappeared at all. Among younger artists, there are still those who consciously try out artistic experiments in different backgrounds. In their works, though issues of cultural and social critique are still in the background, the emphasis is more on the self-referential aspect of art, which manifests especially in the emphasis on subjective elements such as will and enlightenment. The unique value of emphasizing enlightenment and will is that it is actually emphasizing the subjective consciousness of the artist, that is, the humanistic value of art.

Here, enlightenment includes wisdom and knowledge, as well as the former’s transformation of, and ability to examine, the latter. Will indicates control and danger, especially in the sustainability of artistic activity. We will use the concepts of enlightenment and will to describe and evaluate the characteristics and value of experimental art.

For this reason, with will and enlightenment as our coordinates, and re-experimentation as a historical pursuit, this exhibition focuses on recent experimental artistic practices by the young generation of artists. Through this exhibition, we hope to present a batch of young artists with the spirit of experimentation and independent will. We believe that only when the value of will and enlightenment is established, as well as the value of individual subjectivity, only then will there be a solid foundation for the promotion and deepening of Chinese contemporary art.