Time Gravity–2023 Chengdu Biennale
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Paragraphs: 12
During the 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress in 2017, China’s former President, Hu Jintao, proclaimed: “China must enhance the country’s cultural soft power,” officialising the concept of “soft power” in Chinese politics. This sentiment was echoed by the present President of the PRC, Xi Jinping, who underscores the importance of enhancing China’s soft power to realise the 'Two 100 Years' goals and to bring to fruition the Chinese Dream.
Contemporary art and its initiatives in China are witnessing a strategic migration towards second and third-tier cities, a trend inspired by progressivist initiatives like the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and Setouchi Triennale, steered by Fram Kitagawa.
Rather than concentrating on established Asian art hubs like Hong Kong or Shanghai, there is a palpable move towards the burgeoning secondary Chinese cities. This transition dovetails with Beijing’s rural revitalisation agenda. The Chengdu Biennale, nestled in the southwest Sichuan Province, epitomises this phenomenon.
The “Time Gravity–2023 Chengdu Biennale” features nine exhibition sections showcasing works from renowned artists, including George Baselitz, David Hockney, John Hoyland, Nam June Paik, Katie Paterson, and Sean Scully. Wang Shaoqiang, Chief Curator of the Biennale, offers a detailed lens into its foundations. Emphasising its scale, which brought together over 200 artists from 20 countries, Shaoqiang states, "This is the biggest Biennale in China.” Its success, indicated by its staggering attendance numbers set to reach 1 million in November—dwarfing the 800,000 visitors of the 2022 Venice Biennale—mirrors the growing cultural hunger of the predominantly domestic audience.
The investment by the Chengdu government, surpassing any other Chinese Biennale, attests to its significance in China’s cultural strategy. Lu Peng, the Biennale’s Artistic Director, expounds that while the term “soft power” might be an American coinage dating back to the Hilary Clinton administration, its essence has been embraced by the Chengdu city government to highlight the city's multifaceted strengths—from economy and technology to culture.
Beyond its sheer size, the Chengdu Biennale touches upon a more profound debate. Art scholarship identifies a “core-periphery hierarchy” (Buchholz 2018; Velthius and Brandellero 2018) wherein institutions from traditional art centres in Western Europe and America often exert dominant influence, disseminating and enforcing their evaluative standards. These dynamics result in a skewed representation and recognition of artistic endeavours from “peripheral” regions. How, then, does the Chengdu Biennale approach these challenges to ensure resonance and relevance on the international art map? Lu Peng's commentary commences by synthesising Western and Far Eastern intersections in modern art history.
In the late 20th century, as Chinese artists understood the language of modern art, their presence in international museums significantly grew. The onset of the 21st century saw Chinese artists wielding more autonomy, distancing themselves from the dominant attitude that prevailed until the 1980s, characterised by the reverence of modernism. Peng argues that Chinese modern and contemporary art holds unparalleled significance domestically, thereby overshadowing the “official art.” Peng’s candid acknowledgement that “from a global perspective, perhaps, Chinese art is still at the periphery” results from a complex interplay of “politics, economics, and cultural power.” However, with Chengdu Biennale’s aspirations to increase the inclusion of international artists in future editions, he leaves us with a vexing question: “After all, who is at the centre? Who is at the periphery?”
Within the Biennale's corridors, curator and ex-director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Philip Dodd, confronts the prevalent, linear account of post-war art history by spotlighting non-American contributions. In his section titled The Sight of the Start Makes Me Dream (Van Gogh), he explores the interplay between space and art across six decades, specifically after 'Paris passed the baton to New York' in the 1980s, marking the death of the modernist art narrative. Dodd juxtaposes the historical with the contemporary, critiquing the trend of Biennales showcasing fleeting artistic trends reminiscent of transient fashion. As such, the show seeks to reshape our understanding of modern art.
The parallel drawn between Hsiao Chin and Stefan Gierowski vividly represents his intent. Born in 1935 in Shanghai, Hsiao Chin co-founded the avant-garde Punto group in Milan during the 1960s, a time when Milan was a collaborative hub for artists like Fontana. In this era, Gierowski in Poland echoed Hsiao’s themes, both being influenced by Laozi. Their works now seem more contemporary than in the 1960s. Using Walter Benjamin's 'constellation' concept, Dodd presents a fresh view of art history, emphasising European and Asian dynamics often eclipsed by New York.
The Chengdu Biennale highlights the East’s rising significance in the global cultural conversation. Predicting China's artistic trajectory is complex, yet the evident enthusiasm for artistic production foreshadows a promising future and reflects China's burgeoning ambitions in the art world. However, as pithily concluded by Dodd- the real challenge ahead of Beijing is to move from Made in China to Created in China and widen the cultural experiences.
Chinese Translation: Enrica Costamagna
Natalia Gierowska is a political scientist and art critic whose research has been featured in various academic journals, including Springer. Her areas of expertise include the politics of the Middle East, public policy, and refugee law. At Brooklyn Rail, Natalia is an Editor-at-Large and predominantly reviews exhibitions outside the United States. Together with her cousin, Łukasz Dybalski, she jointly leads the Stefan Gierowski Foundation, dedicating efforts to advance its cultural and educational missions.