The “Naughty Kids” of China’s Art Scene
By Anne Keehn
“XiaoB.Candy” by Chen Ke, 2004. From Star Gallery
In recent years, China has been heralded as the next economic lion—or perhaps more appropriately, Dragon. In 2005, it was reported that Shanghai was home to about 3,800 skyscrapers. That’s more than Los Angeles and Chicago combined. And, last year, in their China Rich List, Forbes magazine found 15 more billionaires than the year before, and the total net worth of the 400 richest people in China had increased by $116 billion.
It is the young, upwardly mobiles, or yuppies who are capitalizing on this boom. The Washington Post reported that the average age on that Forbes Rich List was “46.5, compared with 65.7 for the comparable U.S. list.”
And it’s not just in business, that the Chinese are trumping the rest of us. Some predict that Beijing may soon replace New York as the center of the art world, especially in light of the multi-million dollar Ullens Center, recently opened in Beijing’s 798 Arts District, and the staggering prices that Chinese art commands at auctions.
Fang Fang, the art mogul behind the Star Gallery in Beijing, whose stated aim is to promote the “new generation” of artists—what he calls the “naughty kids,” born after 1970—says the artists he represents are part of a “selfish generation, but in art selfishness is very important, because art is a form of personal belief… I hope Chinese art can say goodbye to [sic] image of Chairman Mao.”
Shown here, is the artwork of Chen Ke, born in 1978, represented by the Star Gallery.
More images after the jump.
Chen Ke, from Star Gallery
“Winter” by Chen Ke, 2005. From Star Gallery
“Blue No.2″ by Chen Ke, 2005. From Star Gallery