From Mao to Now: Contemporary Chinese Art, 1976 to the Present

With the death of Chairman Mao in 1976, artists in China found themselves in a radically changed political and social environment, one that has evolved in the thirty years since the Great Helmsman's passing. In this course we will explore themes such as the relationship between the artist and the state, engagement with history and collective memory, the role of the global art market in contemporary artistic production, artistic response to major national turns, including the 1989 Tiananmen Square protestS, and the Beijing Olympics, and the impact of urbanization, commercialism, and other social pressures on art. Media to be studied will include painting, calligraphy, photography, sculpture, film, performance art, and architecture. Readings will draw heavily on artists' writings. We will also work closely with artworks in the College Museum.