Urbanization and Contemporary Chinese Art Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies Series

This book explores the relationship between the ongoing urbanization in China and the production of contemporary Chinese art since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Wang provides a detailed analysis of artworks and methodologies of art-making from eight contemporary artists who employ a wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, and performance. She also sheds light on the relationship between these artists and their sociocultural origins, investigating their provocative responses to various processes and problems brought about by Chinese urbanization. With this urbanization comes a fundamental shift of the philosophical and aesthetic foundations in the practice of Chinese art: from a strong affiliation with nature and countryside to one that is complexly associated with the city and the urban world.

1. The Art for the City: Zhong Biao 2. From the Countryside to the City 3. De/Constructing Urbanization: Weng Fen, Chen Qiulin, and Han Bing 4. From Landscape to Urbanscape: Yan Yongliang 5. Disappearing Bodies: Liu Bolin 6. The Street at Day and Night: Wang Fenghua and Liu Xintao 7. Conclusion

Meiqin Wang is Associate Professor in the Department of Art at California State University, Northridge, USA