The identification of contemporary art

Art is an expression of thought and idea.

Contemporary art refers to the relatively advanced expression in the methodology of art, which reflecting the current situation of social development and the spirit of the times. It also faces the problem of inheritance and development, development being the keynote, and avant-garde character is till the basic feature of contemporary art.

The essential characteristic of contemporary art is keep pace with the times in thought and share the spirit of the age; have own advanced methodology of art in expression, and try to expand the degree of freedom for the expression and manifestation of human thought.

Chinese contemporary art, applying the above identification, is a adaptive (contemporary) and advanced expression that reflects the new ideological trends and new ideas showed in the current developing process of Chinese society, excavate, presents and carries forward the hidden spirit of the times, reveals and criticizes the ideological and spiritual essence impeding social progress, and promotes the construction of social civilization.

In fact, China has no real contemporary art in the past very long time, only contemporary Chinese art, or Chinese contemporary art. Because the reference of the creating methodology for avant-garde art of “Chinese contemporary art” only exists in its own history (vertical comparison), while contemporary art is always being an international academic concept and its avant-garde character or contemporary character must take the background of world art history as reference. If Chinese contemporary art is compared in the world art history, there is no contemporariness at all. I noticed the problem fifteen years ago, and since then I have been striving to construct my own methodology of original art and expression system of artistic thought. The absolute aestheticism painting is the concrete practice of my absolute aestheticism thought in painting field.

Contemporary world art should be a special (different) expression which reflects all kinds of values, ideology subjects and conflicts among nations that international society showing in the process of development, reveals the deep social issues behind those contradictions, advocates an ideal of the times and a universal spirit (I mainly refer to the socially acceptable ideas benefiting for world peace and development, not merely human rights, freedom and democracy, but also harmonious idea.) and promotes the spiritual civilization of the international community.

Countries of the world form their own “contemporary art” of different standards in different nationalities, different regions and even different ideology for their different civilization level. As a result, the “contemporary art” of all nations differ from each other in a thousand ways, which also presenting the variety of contemporary world (international) art.

Being cosmopolitan means being different. The art remaining and inheriting its own national features preserves otherness. In this sense, the more national, the more worldwide, which should being right. Namely, a national art is the world art. So diversity is the fundamental characteristic of contemporary world art.

World contemporary art or international contemporary art, formerly called contemporary art, refers to a worldwide and advanced (contemporary) expression which reflects all kinds of values, ideology subjects and conflicts among nations that international society showing in the process of development, reveals the deep social issues behind those contradictions, advocates an ideal of the times and a universal spirit (I mainly refer to the socially acceptable ideas benefiting for world peace and development, not merely human rights, freedom and democracy, but also harmonious idea.) and promotes the spiritual civilization of the international community.

Attention: I have always emphasized promoting the spiritual civilization of international society. It is the necessary condition of being art, the representation of artists’ social consciousness, and even the measure to grasp the degree of “inheritance and avant-garde character” in contemporariness. Inheritance can’t be the encumbrance of the times and avant-garde character can’t divorce from the needs of the age.

Then, a national contemporary art or the art having regional features  must be the world contemporary art? No, it actually relates to the avant-garde character of methodology and the contemporariness of thought and idea. When a national contemporary art possesses a worldwide and advanced methodology for creation and its thoughts can reflect a current spirit of the age (universal), it can be called world contemporary art or contemporary art.