On the trail of China’s new art
China is quintessentially superlative. The third largest country on earth, with rapid economic growth, it is a magnet for entrepreneurs, politicians, scientists and the culturally creative from all around the world. The surge is apparent not only in the statistics, or the cities springing up out of nowhere, but also in art – particularly the new work of younger artists. DAAB, the Cologne publishing house, is responding to this rise, and the new importance of China in the international art market, with a new publication, CROSSING CHINA – Land of the Rising Art Scene. It is the first comprehensive publication in the field.
Gérard A. Goodrow, an authority on the subject, formerly director of Art Cologne and a curator and author of high international standing, showcases seven major metropolitan centres of Chinese culture. He presents the artists, art and exhibition spaces of Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The final chapter adds an overview of important Chinese artists living outside China. The book shows which museums are of key interest and which are the noteworthy galleries and off-sites. In some 400 pages, CROSSING CHINA sets out the personalities in every artistic discipline and the positions they take – from painting, photography and drawing through sculpture, object art and installations to performance, action art and new media. It also profiles major architectural projects outside the spectrum of star cults and economic megalomania. The volume includes contributions of insider insight by guest writers and interviewees of note, such as Uli Sigg of Switzerland, owner of the biggest collection of contemporary Chinese art worldwide and known as the “Columbus of modern Chinese art”; Norbert Kirbach, art historian and graffiti expert; and Koon Wee, architect and co-founder of the SKEW Collaborative in Shanghai.
This publication is especially valuable since the Chinese creative scene, even for those with an active interest in its arts and an ability to travel, is hard to obtain an overview of, given the vastness of the country. Exciting new artistic positions at the intersection of Chinese tradition and cosmopolitan influences are continually being evolved in places not every traveller will gain access to. For the first time, CROSSING CHINA affords comprehensive sightings across this major cultural landscape. The result is an informed, indispensable guide for art lovers, collectors, gallery owners and curators.
CROSSING CHINA
LAND OF THE RISING ART SCENE
Edite: Gérard A. Goodrow
Text in English and German
Cover & Layout: Meiré und Meiré
Hardcover in slipcase
24 x 28 cm / 9.4 x 11 in, 360 pages
125.00 € | 175.00 $ | 115.00 £
ISBN: 978-3-942597-12-8
