Chinese contemporary art and calligraphy

Dear fellows!

Since three days I am looking for something like subculture. It is sad, but most of the people in Beijing have not even found their way in mainstream. China has a global problem: It is a country to vegetate in, but nothing more.

I spoke to some calligraphers again. It is quite interesting that the art schools have small galleries all over the city where young students can sell their own (and their teachers') works to finance their schools and and their studies.

A Chinese girl from one of the autonomous regions told me that she had come to Beijing for the summer¨to volunteer and sell paintings. She is just finishing art academy, so I asked her about further plans. Because of the bad job prospects for artists she wants to work “something” in Beijing.
Other students told me about their short trips abroad. They were not talking about study trips...
I mention this, because Chinese art schools seem to lack real innovation.

In my opinion Chinese visual artists should visit other countries as well (I know that singers do it), to get some new influences. Reproducing your art since eight generations is not very healthy. You may say that calligraphy is about reproducing the same letters again and again like a buddhist mantra. That's just not true. The technique stays the same, also some of the motifs, but for example the content may change. Japanese artists – I'd like to mention my favourite contemporary artist Tenmyouya Hisashi – synthesize the traditional line with the modern one. I would not advise Chinese artists to imitate the Japanese, the Korean or overseas Asian artists, but studying the contemporary art of those countries could help China to find its own, genuine way. It is important to understand that China had troubles for the last 200 years, 8 generations! During times of political problems art life suffers, and yet we didn't speak about the Cultural Revolution. Of course every other Asian country had similar problems, but they did not have those significant breaks in their culture.

Ai Weiwei, an artist whom I respect but not admire, tries to express those breaks in his art. The problem with him is his anarchic art definition. He says, “Everybody is an artist”. Chinese art is craft. Craft is about technique, technique is about practise.
By the way: Ai Weiwei is pretty unknown in China - compared to his popularity in Western countries.

On Sunday I am going to visit the 798 Art Zone, the Disneyland of Chinese contemporary art. I hope to find at least one remarkable artist.