This year’s CCAA Critic Award is granted to critic Zhu Zhu for his proposed book “Gray Carnival (Art in China from 2000 to 2009)”. Drawing from a considerable volume of first hand material, Zhu Zhu offers a new critical analysis of this important decade. The book will turn on tropes such as “the set-forward clock”, as a metaphor for the course of visual art “expansion of boundaries”, which looks at the changing power relations between the Chinese and international art scenes, “the dual other”, an examination into the complex position of ink painting, wedged between ideologies of the contemporary, of the traditional and of the western; and “reality of the surreal,” referring to documentary and independent film. The exploration of a language of criticism indigenous to the Chinese art community is another important reason for selecting Zhu Zhu, whose use of language is both poetic and philosophically insightful. A grant of 80’000 RMB plus publication resources will be awarded to the author.

As the runner-up the jury decided to award the Hong Kong based art critic and curator Venus Lau Sau Yee’s proposal “The Demon and the Spider in the Web: Institutional Critique and Objecthood in Contemporary Chinese Art.” The proposal adroitly balances a firm theoretical framework with a strong sense of being rooted in a real curatorial and artistic practice – now. The jury especially noted the sensitive critique of an increasingly fashionable “criticality” – be it institutional critique or relational aesthetics – in the Chinese context. The proposal offers a fresh position based on a recent return of objecthood in contemporary art. A grant of 40’000 RMB will be awarded to be used for publication of the proposed essay.

Zhu Zhu’s proposal was chosen out of 28 entries originating from Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Europe. Comparing to two years ago, the jury was impressed by the increasing sophistication in topics and methodologies proposed. Main points of interest are alternative art practices, institutional critique and, interestingly, a critique of the prevailing trends in institutional critique itself.

The jury was composed of five members: Gong Yan (Editor-in-Chief of Art World Magazine, Director of O Art Center, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Fu Dan University) , Lars Nittve (Executive Director of M+ Museum, Hong Kong) Philip Tinari (Former editor-in-Chief of LEAP Magazine, Director of UCCA ), Wang Huangsheng (Director of CAFA Art Museum ) and Uli Sigg (Founder of CCAA) . The director of CCAA is Liu Lianna.

Zhu Zhu

Introduction:
Zhu Zhu, poet, curator and art critic, born Sept. 1969. His works have been translated into English, French, Italian and Japanese. He is recipient of Shanghai wenxue Poetry Award, 2000, and the Second Ann Kao Poetry Award. In 2003 and 2004 he was invited to the Val-de-Marne Poetry Festival and “Springtime of Poetry.” He has published poetry collections: Shi-xiang ling yige xingqiu [Cruising to Another Planet], 1994; Kucao shang de yan [Salt on Withered Grass], 2000; Qingyan [Wisp of Smoke], 2004 (French edition translated by Chantal Chen-Andro); Pixiang [Leather Trunk], 2005; Gushi [Story], 2011. He has published an essay collection (Yunxuan [Vertigo], 2000) and a book of personal essays on art (Kongcheng-ji [Empty City Strategem], 2005). His collections of art criticism are Ge-an—yishu piping zhong de yishujia [Artists in the Eyes of a Critic] (2008, second edition in 2010 titled Yifu hua de dansheng [The Birth of a Painting]); Zhongguo xin yishu sanshi-nian, co-authored with Lü Peng and Gao Qianhui [Thirty Years of New Chinese Art]. Key exhibitions curated include “Origin Point: ‘Star Star Painting Group’ Retrospective” (2007); “Case Studies—Artists in the Eyes of a Critic” (2008); “Resharping History—New China Art 2000-2009” (2010, co-curated with Lü Peng, Gao Qianhui).

Venus Lau Sau Yee

Narrative biography:
Venus Lau Sau Yee is a curator and writer based in Hong Kong. After working in Beijing as an art writer and project curator, she now works actively in various cultural spheres across greater China, pursuing multidisciplinary experimentation with potential and emergent cultural productions in the region, while initiating discourses between Chinese art and the cultural structures in other countries. Beyond contemporary art, Venus Lau also engages in criticism on local cinematic and literary work and produces literary texts. She is currently researching topics including the Pearl River Delta as cultural rhetoric, subalterns and implosion in representation of triads in Hong Kong cinema and their relationship to the mythical monster Lu Ting, scrambled eggs as an object of desire in Hong Kong cinematic language, and empire and jianghu in the cultural geographies of Chinese contemporary art. She is also actively exploring the linkage between philosophical turn of object-oriented ontology and the everchanging concept of objecthood in the realm of art, while researching between Agambenian concept of homo sacer/ Alain Badiou’s Event with the totality of image as a territory. She is currently working on her master thesis on hauntology and the paradox of appearance in media art. She has written extensively on contemporary art.

Positions:
2008 – present
Society for Experimental Cultural Production, Hong Kong, Chairman
Founded curatorial office and production team exploring connections between experimental artists, musicians, curators, and critics, generating discursive formation that transcend various disciplines and cultural territories.

2008 – 2009
Vitamin Creative Space, Beijing, RMB City Project Curator
Curated projects related to Cao Fei’s RMB City project. Responsibilities included conceptual contributions, archive creation and management, Second Life research, editing, and textual work.

2007 – 2008
The Beijinger Magazine, Beijing, Art Critic and Culture Editor
Edited arts and music sections of monthly English-language listings and culture magazine. Responsible for contributing features, writing reviews, editing other contributions, and carrying our research and interviews with artists and musicians.

The role of the curator and critic can be compared to that of a gardener. The gardener spreads the seeds at the right times, and raises the flowers and trees. They keep a close watch on whether the plants are healthy, making sure it is without any ails or pests. They give them the right amount of fertilizer, and rid them of any unwanted weeds. They trim the branches of the trees so they may grow in beauty. They do not procrastinate on gathering the new seeds and storing them. The Gardener does not stop at their own satisfaction, but pours effort to insure that the garden is loved by many.

Just as the seasoned gardener tends to his garden after years of their own experience and knowledge, the curator and critic also need their own integrity and handle on art. But the gardeners who tend to the so called garden that is art aren’t just curators or critics. Those who love art and those who support it also contribute their share in helping the gardener successfully raise the garden that is art.

It would be a great delight for more people to lend their caring hand in keeping and ensuring this beautiful garden of art.

CV

KIM Sunhee was born in 1959 in Korea, and has a MA in Art Theory, and she also studied Aesthetics for a doctorate. She is based in Shanghai since September 2006. She had served at Zendai Himalayas Center and Bund18 Creative Center in Shanghai both as an art director, after serving 5 years as a Senior Curator of the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to Mori Art Muserum, she was a chief curator for both of Gwangju City Art Museum and Gwangju Biennale

in Gwangju, Korea.

She is a Korean woman, currently living in China, who studied in America and worked in Japan.

For the past decade, based on her insight and experience in the matter, she has been focusing on the exhibitions of East Asian contemporary art such as; “Doll House”, Japanese & Korean Art, Shanghai e-Art Festival, Xuhui Art Museum, Shanghai, “2006 MoCA Shanghai Envisage:”Entry Gate: Chinese Aesthetics of Heterogeneity” in Shanghai as a co-curator, “The Elegance of Silence: Contemporary Art from East Asia ” (2005), at Mori art Museum, Co-curated The 1st and 2nd Woman Art Festival(1999 and 2002), Seoul Art Center, and “Fantasy” Asia Woman Art Exhibition,

Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul. Also curated “Korean artists in Japan after 1945,” “Silence of the City” (2001), at Gwangju City Art Museum. She taught Art history and Contemporary art at the Chunnam National University in Korea between 1996 and 2002. She is also a Member of CIMAM (international committee of ICOM (International Council of Museums)

ABOUT CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART AWARD CCAA 

 The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA was set up in 1997 by Uli Sigg, leading collector of Chinese contemporary art. It is given annually alternatingly  to Chinese artists or to art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique, in order to encourage their professional development through publications and exhibitions, and to foster a wider public appreciation, domestically and internationally, of what today’s Chinese art contributes to contemporary culture.

ABOUT CCAA CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART CRITIC AWARD

The vibrant Chinese contemporary art scene lacks sufficient independent art criticism. At present, the market is the main arbiter of what is considered good or bad work. The weight of its judgment, based primarily on commercial crteria, stems from a shortage of alternative resources. China currently has neither enough museums willing and able to participate in the discourse through stable  curatorial practice, nor enough self-directed critics determined to educate this rapidly growing audience that is willing to experience—and, in some cases, invest in—progressive visual art.

The ART CRITIC AWARD addresses these issues by identifying key examples of independent art criticism, which is so essential to the advancement of art creation and appreciation, and by granting the winning art critic financial support for an in-depth research project that might otherwise be difficult to fund.

THE AWARD 

-10,000 Euros for a research grant

-Publication in 2012 of the resulting essay

SELECTION CRITERIA

-relevance for the current discourse on Chinese contemporary art

-originality in analysis and conclusion

REQUIREMENT

-Applicant living in or working predominantly for PRC, Hongkong SAR or Taiwan.

JURY MEMBERS

1) Philip Tinari          Editor-in-Chief of <LEAP> Magazine

2) Wang Huangsheng   Director of CAFA Art Museum

3) Gong Yan           Editor-in-Chief of <Art World> Magazine, Director of O Art Center, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Fu Dan University.

4) Lars Nittve                      Executive Director of M+ Museum,Hongkong

5) Uli Sigg              Founder of CCAA

DIRECTOR

-Liu Li Anna

JURY MEETING AND PRESS MEETING:

- January, 2012，In Beijing

APPLICATION PROCESS

-Deadline: 25th Nov. 2011

APPLICATION CONTENT

-Fill in the Application Form

-Essay OUTLINE only for a piece, outline not to exceed 3000 characters in Chinese or 1500 words in English (or, ideally, in both languages)

-Self introduction with CV

-One sample of previous writing

APPLICATION  ADDRESS

Rm.714, Office Tower 3, Henderson Center, No.18 Jianguomennei Ave, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, 100005

-Email address:  / info@ccaa-awards.org /

-Contact person: 

Director :   Liu li Anna   anna@ccaa-awards.org /  86-18601293501

Coordinator: Wangweiwei info@ccaa-awards.org  /  86-15000679012

Coordinator: Zhao Miaoxi info@ccaa-awards.org  /  86-13701389083

Zhang Peili has been a leading figure in the Chinese contemporary art scene for since the mid-1980s. Utilizing video as his main medium, he is largely considered as the first Chinese video artist and has influenced generations of artists across the country.

Zhang Peili focuses his work on exposing the paradoxical relationship between man and the world. The world is unfathomable. And our existence is a permanent negotiation with ontological anxiety. Human efforts to understand it begin from a position of isolation and result in a profound sense of pointlessness. This manifests the state of mind of a generation of Chinese who grew up in the transition from a closed and stagnant Cultural Revolution to cultural liberation, social reform and the current globalisation. However, he sees these changes as ultimately idle and absurd. Inspired by major modern figures such as Bertolt Brecht and Samuel Beckett, he has developed a language that emphasizes distanced, neutral position in order to create a space that allows him more freedom to ponder upon the relationship between man and the world. With now historically significant piece like “30X30”(1988), “Uncertain Pleasure” (1996), “Magician” (2002), and more recent “Mute” (2008) and “ A Gust of Wind” (2009), numerous others, Zhang Peili has produced a large, complex and powerful body of work. Over the time, his work has evolved towards overwhelming spatialisations of this vision. His meticulous and precise explorations of cinematographic language and technological possibilities provided by the new media further perfect his imaginations and expressions. They are increasingly endowed with a profoundly compelling quality of poesy, and even epic-ness…

Zhang Peili’s mode of artistic production, while pursuing ultimate sophistication, generates a  quasi-philosophical mode of perception, reflection and expression. It’s widely embraced by a great part of the art community and referred by them as a rich source of inspiration. The emerging generation including Yang Fudong, Yang Zhenzhong, Lu Chunsheng, Kan Xuan, etc. who are now gaining great local and global recognitions are all influenced by this master. More importantly, Zhang Peili is the main founder of the first new media department in the Chinese art education system. His pedagogical efforts have been immensely fruitful…

1957 Born in Hangzhou, China
1984 Graduated from the oil painting department，Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, Hangzhou, China

Solo Exhibitions

2008 Mute: Zhang Peili’s Solo Exhibition, OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, Shenzhen, China

Group Exhibitions

2010     Jungle: A Close-Up Focus on Chinese Contemporary Art Trends, Platform China Contemporary Art Institute, Beijing

2009    eARTS BEYOND Shanghai International Gallery Exhibition of Media Art, Shanghai eARTS Festival, Shanghai

              WARM UP, Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai

             Media Art China 2009: Timelapse, A Swiss-China Media Art Exhibition，National Art Museum of China, Beijing

In an era of the cool, of the newest, as well as the most sophisticated media techniques, artists worldwise, go consciously back to much older media techniques as well as much “slower” images, such as hand-painted animation films. Think of the critical, as well as popular success of visual artists such as William Kentridge or filmmakers like Bela Tarr. Both show and tell, – in the form of barely coloured, black and white, expressionistic long, epic narratives, – the recent histories, full of conflict and tension of their regions, respectively South Africa and Eatsern Europe. And in the midst of the rapid development of digital, illusionary 3-D techniques, “Stoneage Animation”, such as stop-motion techniques, find their way back to artist’s studios and film theaters like in an optical resistance movement. Such is also the case of the work of young Sun Xun, who graduated from the Printmaking Department of the China Academy of Arts, and who, in his drawings and animation films, is working a new model of “mixing up the water”. Also his work is a kind of “resistance”, resisting the age of New Media through the rewriting of a craft-like practice that seemed lost forever in an environment of individualized, interactive computer programs which can only simulate democracy. Sun Xun and his colleagues want by contrast to reinvent the cinema as a mass culture. Indeed,  Sun Xun’s animations would be more similar to a flicker book, to the earliest cinema projections. The „movies“ of Sun Xun, whose work got shown in recent years in film festivals world wide, bear titles such as “Heroes no longer” or “Coal Spell”, reinventing a long – lost? – epic tradition in film, from Sergej Eisenstein over Chris Marker and Wang Bing or Jia Zhangke. But of course one might also think of the painters Liu Xiaodong and Qiu Anxiong, who are working within the idiom of cinema as well. Just like them, Sun Xun opens, through collaging both real and fictional documents, layers of memory as a means against erasure and forgettfulness. The “arrested” character of his eclectic, seemingly primitive or traditional images and sounds help to shape our own opinion, when it comes to the contradictions and imperfections of the recent political and social histories of China. His ouevre, although still young, functions as a theatre of memory in which he poses the question: Which history of China one wants to remember and to be part of?

1980 Born in Fuxin, Liaoning Province, currently lives and works in Beijing, China

2005 Graduated from Print-making Department of China Academy of Fine Arts 

Solo Exhibitions

2008              After Doctrine, Yokohama Creativecity Center, Yokohama, Japan

2009                 Sun Xun Solo Exhibition, ZIAM Gallery, Yokohama, Japan

                           Animals-Sun Xun solo exhibition, Max Pretetch Gallery, New York, USA.

                           Sun Xun: The Dark Magician of New Chinese Animation-Pacific film archive Theater, California University of Berkeley, USA

People’s Republic of Zoo, Colchester, University of Essex Gallery, UK.

          Sun Xun: Shock of Time, The Drawing Center, NY, USA

Group Exhibitions

2010           Looking through Film: Traces of Cinema and Self-Constructs in Contemporary Art, OCT Contemporary

                     Art Terminal Of He Xiangning Art Museum, Shen Zhen

                    Jungle – A Close-up Focus on Chinese Contemporary Art Trends, Platform China Contemporary Art Institute, Beijing

2009         13th Microwave International New Media Arts Festival, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, Hong Kong

2009         International Festival for Arts and Media Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan.

                    Impark Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands

                   Double Happiness, Leonhardi Kulturprojekte, Frankfurt, Germany

“Life is a heap of mixed material of unclear quality.” This assertion by Duan Jianyu points to the philosophical nature of her art. Purposely avoiding the painterly sublime, she strives for the most generic subject matter and she delves into banal expression and style. The chickens, which appear in many of her photographs, multi-media installations and paintings are a metaphor for this interest in the ordinary. Yet hers is not a naive or even narrative description of everyday life. Instead, she uses a highly refined method of displacement, that propells the work into a realm where we start thinking of art as a language and painting as a medium. Her displacements include combining the wrong elements on a canvas, or mixing up poetry and poetics in her writing, or travelling to Qinghai Province on an extended stay, when instead she might have come to a thriving city center, the market place for art. Once, she claimed to have discovered an abandoned painting by Julian Schnabel in a Chinese chicken coop.

“Many minor things in our lives seem to be trivial and simple, but they contain a great many scientific knowledge and skills,”  writes the artist. The Jury of the CCAA 2010 is impressed by the level of sophistication Duan Jianyu shows in keeping the categories of aesthetic judgement in suspense. Duan Jianyu is highly educated about the traditions of art history and the trends of contemporary art, and she uses this knowledge in a self-reflexive way, but her work never becomes academic or didactic. Her sincerity about the fundamental role of art in life is matched by her ambitious scope: To use art as a medium to tell basic truths about conditions of contemporaneity. Both in the context of Chinese painting and in comparison to international art production, her quirky poetic works have managed to surprise and elate us. We are happy to announce that we voted her “Best Artist”  in the CCAA 2010.

1970 Born in Henan, currently teaches at the Fine Arts Department of South China Normal University.
1995 Graduated from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts

Solo Exhibitions
2008  China International Gallery Exposition—- 33 Young Asian Artists’ solo show, Beijing, China
            Plateau Life Guide—Now in Coming Art Project, atate3 space, Beijing, China

Group Exhibitions
2010    Jungle, Platform China, Beijing, China
               Reshaping history: Chinart form 2000 to 2009, China national convention center, Beijing
2009    Species of Space, Art Basel 40
               Go home” Art Basel Miami Beach 2009

2008  China China China!!!” Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, Florence
             Guangzhou Station–Special Exhibition for Contemporary Art of Guangdong” Guangdong museum of art          
            Notes of Conception: Alocal Narration of Chinese Contemporary painting Beijing Iberia center for contemporary
             Our future: The Guy & Miriam Ullens Foundation collection” Beijing UCCA
             Farewell to Post-Colonialism–the Third Guangzhou Triennial Guangzhou, Guangdong Museum of Art
           “a better life” the shop for Frieze Art Fair 2008 England
            Departure-Contemporary art exhibition of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hongkong and Macao Shenzhen Hexiangning Art Museum

Best Young Artist: Sun Xun

Lifetime Contribution Artist: Zhang Peili

International jury announces the winners of the Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA: The winners are Duan Jianyu (Best Artist), Sun Xun (Best Young Artist) and Zhang Peili (Lifetime Contribution Artist).

Established by Uli Sigg in 1997 as an independent non-profit entity, CCAA’s purpose is to give awards to Chinese artists and art critics who show outstanding achievement in artistic creation, and its analysis and critique. CCAA encourages their development and enhances awareness and appreciation to a wider public for what Chinese art contributes to contemporary Chinese culture. It has since become an institution of significance for the Chinese art scene, with the CCAA winners becoming well recognized also by the international art world.

DUAN JIANYU : Her paintings and installations are highly personal.Her painterly renderings and textual notes connect with a worldwide discourse on the correlation of art and life. It is highly artificial, yet at the same time deeply real. She delivers a mirror both to her artist peers and women specifically, who are seeking to reinforce their particular sensibilities and imaginations.

SUN XUN: His work should be seen in the rich tradition of Chinese and Asian contemporary cinema. At the same time he confirms and renews the importance of traditional Chinese ways of art making, reintegrating old techniques into newer media. In the meantime, he has developed diverse strategies to create a new dimension for the filmic structure through spatial occupations.

ZHANG PEILI: Father of Chinese Video art, he has been a leading figure in the Chinese contemporary art scene since the mid-1980s. His influence on his peers and his role as educator of younger generations of artists cannot be emphazised enough. As the main founder of the first new media department in the Chinese art eductation system, his pedagogical engagement has been greatly fruitful.

The Jury made the choices in view of the overall context of Chinese contemporary art today:

“We are witnessing in the artists’s works presented to us, especially the youngest works, a much larger diversity , as well as personal, sensitive and investigative efforts. In terms of Chinese contemporary art in general, we would like to see even more encouragement of independent positions. We would support further singular ways of art production, exhibition making, and critical discourses, which is to our opinion the only guarantee to reinforce the importance of the works which we had to judge upon. And we hope these endeavours will continue to grow, and that others come into being. The strength of young art works worldwide will rely on their further emancipation as well as distancing from the domination of art market, both local and global.”

The members of the jury consisted of internationally reknowned experts on contemporary art. They are Ruth Noack (curator of documenta 12, Kassel), Chris Dercon (director of Haus der Kunst, Munich), Hou Hanru (director of exhibitions and Chair of Public programs, San Francisco Art Institute), Huang Du (independent curator, Beijing), Uli Sigg (founder of CCAA), Zhang Ga (professor of Media Art, Academy of Art and Design, Tsinghua University), Zhang Qing (vice-director of Shanghai Art Museum).

Contact info:
Wang Weiwei , Coordinator
Email: wangweiwei328@gmail.com
Mobile: +86 15000679012

Wang Chunchen, a member of the Curatorial Research Department of the Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, has been selected as this year’s winner of the critic award of the Contemporary Chinese Art Awards. A grant of 10,000 euros will support his realization of the proposal “Art Intervenes in Society—A New Artistic Relationship,” to be published by CCAA as a book in 2010. The volume will examine work by numerous artists who insert their work into everyday social situations in order to question existing political and artistic norms.

 Wang’s proposal was chosen from among 27 entries. The other finalists were “Cultural Identity and Innovation: Contemporary Chinese Art and Cultural Traditions” by Liu Congyun, a columnist for the South China Morning Post, and “Jianghu and Empire: Cultural Geographies in Chinese Contemporary Art’ by Lau Sau Yee, Chairman of the Society for Experimental Cultural Production at Hong Kong City University. The winning proposal was commended by all jury members for its relevance to current critical discourse, and its clarity of organization and language.

 The jury was composed of four members: artist and CAFA vice president Xu Bing; artist, writer, and China Art Academy professor Qiu Zhijie; Art in America senior editor Richard Vine, and CCAA founder Uli Sigg. 

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art

《Art Intervenes in Society- A New Artistic Relationship》，2009

Jury:  Xu Bing, Qiu Zhijie, Richard Vine, Uli Sigg

 Wang Chunchen

Ph.D in Art History, now works as curator at the Curatorial Research Department of CAFA Art Museum of The Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China

 In recent years, he has contributed to ArtForum in Chinese, Art Research Journal, Art Observation, Contemporary Art, Contemporary Artist, Oriental Art, Art Criticism, Art Time, etc.

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art

Over the course of many exhibitions, the Creative Center of Bund18 has put forth great effort to further the development of art in our culture. We have emphasized the C Chinese and East Asian art worlds and the challenges they currently face-consequently I feel the 2008 CCAA (China Contemporary Art Awards) Exhibition is quite significant.

Currently, Chinese art is at the center of attention in the midst of a global interest in Asian art. Unfortunately, the art world in China is currently facing many challenges, both critically and systematically. The sudden expansion of the Chinese art world (in terms of sheer numbers of artists, galleries, and museums, as well as the market) has actually contributed to the worsening of such situations rather than providing a solution. The CCAA is significant especially because of this current state of affairs. The fair and discrete evaluation and awarding process is one of the most basic factors required for the solution of the problems Chinese art is facing. The Creative Center, recognizing and acknowledging these qualities, will hold an exhibition in full support, in accordance with these ideals shared by Bund18 and the Creative Center.

The 2008 CCAA exhibition will include the three award-winning artists; Ai We’re, Tue Wei, and These Tue-chin. They are true artists whose work reflects the age in which they live; all have been pioneering new territories of contemporary art, and will show their own unique worlds of art through this exhibition. Ai Weiwei and Liu Wei will be showcasing net work especially made for the surroundings of the Creative Center.

I world like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all the artists and staff members who have put a lot of work in for this exhibition. This humble thanks goes out especially to founder of CCAA Uli Sigg, to UBS for their unrelenting support, and to Pi Li, who has supervised this whole event.

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

 The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.

Initiated by Swiss collector Uli Sigg in 1997 and awarded every two years by a jury of esteemed arts professionals from both China and abroad, the Chinese Contemporary Art Awards (CCAA) initially played a pivotal role in drawing international attention to contemporary Chinese art at a time when it was largely overlooked. Now in its 6th round, the award has established itself as the most important of its kind. Renowned for its independent and visionary perspective, the CCAA is the benchmark of critical success for artists working in China today. This year’s CCAA winners are: Ai Weiwei, Liu Wei and Tseng Yu-Chin.

The presentation of the 2008 CCAA Exhibition at the Ullens Center foe Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing represents a natural collaboration between some of contemporary Chinese art’s most ardent and passionate supporters, CCAA founder Uli Sigg, and UCCA founders Guy and Myriam Ullens, and underscores the complimentary missions of both institutions. Both CCAA and CUUA reflect the beneficence and inventiveness of maverick collectors who have forged new opportunities for the artists whose works have inspired them; both are committed to creating a platform for dialogue about the contemporary art and visual culture that has come to define our current moment.

This year’s CCAA winners are as dynamic as they are diverse, representing different generational and geographical positions and working across a wide range of media. Still, Ai Weiwei, Liu Wei and Tseng Yu-Chin all share the ability to continuously surprise and challenge audiences and an unceasing desire to question and expand the rules of art making. Through this exhibition, UCCA’s audiences will have an exceptional chance to experience some of the best that contemporary art has to offer.

UCCA is grateful to Uli Sigg for this unique opportunity to present a groundbreaking exhibition, to gallerist and CCAA Director Pi Li for administering the award, and to UBS for their ongoing support of cutting edge contemporary Chinese art. It is rare to find such a convergence of generosity and creativity that has led to the CCAA exhibition here at UCCA; it is our pleasure to share it with the world.

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

 The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.

It might have been chance that I ended up as member of the jury of the CCAA 2006, but it was certainly lucky for me. As of a year ago, I had never been to China and had not seen much of Chinese Art, be it traditional or contemporary, China seemed very far away, both geographically and culturally. For someone coming from a society bound up with the cult of the individual, it is difficult to imagine a place in which neither the belief in individual singularity, nor in individual creativity, is deeply rooted. Everyone tells me that China is a changing place. And certainly the changes are vast, extremely complex, exiting and difficult. But I assume that I fell in love with the country for other reasons: I appreciate the inventiveness of the Chinese people, their cuisine, and most of all their ability to balance reality, whatever the circumstances, with a positive outlook on life. Mine is a foolish love, because it knows far too little of its subject and there is yet so much to learn. And that is why I was lucky to be part of the CCAA2006: it was an opportunity to discuss and learn from others, some far more knowledgeable than me on issues of contemporary Chinese art.

To be immersed in a situation of learning is a luxury! If I were also passing along an insight, it would be the following thought: I have found that it is not very useful to compare European and Chinese contemporary art. This insight goes against my schooling in art history which taught me to compare. “Beware,” my teacher advised us “when comparing, you must choose works of art as similar as possible in subject matter, style and form. Thus, you will learn something about the difference between the works and more about the singularity of each.” However, the easily perceived similarities as well as difference in Chinese and Western art are misleading. Regarding differences, the problem seems to be that all too often we are confronted with the manufacturing of a geopolitical identity, rather than with the quirks and subtleties of the work itself. The work of art is made to stand in for Chinese-ness as such, rather than to stand up for itself. This results the very least in the illusion that Chinese culture is somehow more homogeneous than its Western counterpart. Regarding similarities, there is a similar problem where we all lack an understanding of the importance of historically and locally specific meanings attached to practices of art. Chinese artists take up styles they perceive to be the international fashion (whatever that may be), but neglect the discourses that go along with it .Thus they seem to be creating works similar to works made in New York, to give but one example, never realizing that New York is just as local (if not to say provincial) as Hong Kong. Foreign curators, on the other hand, are happy to exhibit what they understand, that is: work that somehow fits the Western framework. More often than not this results in Chinese art work being unfavorably compared to seemingly more advanced Western examples. And, what is worse, many interesting works fall through the cracks, simply because they cannot be molded into existing modes of representation.
I have a lot more to learn about Chinese contemporary art, but what I have already taken home is the realisation that we all need not only to learn, but to unlearn. It is encouraging, that some people are much farther along in this process than I am.

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.

Booth: No D 15

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.

Looking at the rapid progression of change in Chinese contemporary art and selecting the most outstanding artists is an arduous task. The fundamental goal of the Chinese Contemporary Art Awards (CCAA) is not completely determined by different perspectives on art in order to create value judgments, but it is a platform for understanding artists and their works so that people may participate this ongoing dialogue. The jury committee in China engages in a discussion with jury members abroad, as well as artists and curators, to provide an effective channel to understanding Chinese contemporary art. When the CCAA was founded in 1998, contemporary art exhibitions and accompanying publications were not as common, but it was in this way that international viewers were exposed to an understanding of Chinese art. The development of contemporary art in China transformed dramatically after 2000, especially in an international scope, as the Chinese contemporary art market witnessed an unusual boom that undoubtedly had a great effect on artistic production and development. The CCAA in recent years continuously reflects on its role, as well as its development strategy, in the context of the contemporary art scene and hopes to offer a reliable source of learning and perspective independent from the current market.

The CCAA2006 began seeking nominations in 2004. We invited young domestic curators, critics

and art space directors to come together and each nominates 25 artists. The nomination process followed two main criteria: one regarded the candidate’s successful scope of expansion and potential for future development, resulting in high standards of evaluation and comprehensive study; the other regarded the preliminary jury selection and recommendations for the candidate’s incorporation of information of local surroundings and conditions, thus enabling the final appraisal to consider the artist’s position on both a local and international level. I extend many thanks to Zhang Wei, Director of Vitamin Space in Guangzhou; Lu Jie, Director of the Long March Space in Beijing; Huang Du, Independent Curator; Gao Shimin, Lecturer at the China Academy of Fine Arts, and to Gu Zhenqing, Director and Chief Curator of the Shanghai Zhu Qizhen Art Museum. They all have provided significant contributions to the academic study and posterity of Chinese contemporary art.

CCAA2006 jury met May 15-16 in Beijing to determine the final selection. The formation of the Jury not only considered each member’s academic background, but also consider aspects of Chinese and overseas critics, artists and curators. According to the first round of nomination by the jury committee, we gathered nearly 100 pieces of candidate materials and evaluated 35 artists during the two day process. Like previous jury committees, the CCAA selection particularly emphasized the review of the previous two years of a candidate’s artistic production. The reason being that each annual selection would accurately reflect the state of current art exhibitions, and act as a reliable indication for future academic study. After reviewing all materials and having two rounds of discussion and votes, the jury unanimously selected Zheng Guogu as this year’s winner. Cao Fei was recognized as the Best Young Artist under the age of 35 and ten other artists were awarded honorable mention. Additionally, due to the combination of each jury member’s background and perspective, through discussions and research also resulted in presenting an honorary award to Huang Yongping as the CCAA2006 Contributing Artist.

The biggest difference for the CCAA2006 from previous years was the decision to hold an accompanying exhibition of the winners——twelve: Chinese Contemporary Art Awards 2006. We hope this exhibition will expand the understanding and connotations of Chinese contemporary art outside of this award and publication. Through selection and exhibition, award recipients have the opportunity to exhibit outside of commercial galleries and certain organizations whose demands may be difficult to fulfill. As a result, awarded artists have the chance to publicly share their works as a representation of the past two years of development in Chinese contemporary art. In this way our selections hope to extend the discussion and research among specialists and the general public. I especially thank Shen Qibin, Director of the Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art and UBS for their generous support to realize this exhibition. As the CCAA2006 Director, I hope that this year’s development committee, publication, and exhibition will be a model for future years and will truly manifest the cultural function of this award.

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

 The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.

The first Post-Mao pop generation of contemporary Chinese artist either cultivated a distinctly Chinese subversive art practice or measured itself against Western standards of monumentality or iconography by way of redefinition. From a Western point of view,the latest generation of Chinese artists is more adapted One may lament this but it seems to be the way history unfolds.

Young Chinese art has become more aesthetic,that is to say the formal has become more important. As a result,every outcry and subversion is greeted with enthusiasm. Xu Zhen-this year’s winner and creator of the ingenious piece “Rainbow”-represents one of the few artists who continues to ruthlessly experiment,against himself and others. He also has the courage to provoke and to challenge common behavior. Gu Dexin surprises with his flow of inspiration and the multi-medial diversity. Compared to Xu Zhen Gu is more metaphorical and more interested in capturing erotic impulses than the corporeal.

Who has not dreamt of imparting humanity with a guilty conscious by way of suicide,to thrust the solitary decision upon the masses and to remain unforgotten? Song Tao suggests this in his dream about hanging himself in rackety crowds. The crossing of a floor cluttered with photographs,however,qualifies this dream as wishful thinking. Li Songsong proceeds intelligently,both ichnographically and in painterly wreck turns into a “gift,” and warlike conflicts are entitled “Waiting,” “Landscape,” or “Wave” respectively-banalized explosives pictorially traumatized. Wang Xingwei has found his way out of his reflections on various degrees of thematic waggishness. Another painter, Wang Yin, is rather interested in scrutinizing the medium of painting and reinterpreting history as well as art history. This is probably what imparts the high acclaim in both Kassel and Venice. In Yang’s latest piece presented to the jury he too opted for a despite all the citations of humanity and nature from the corpus of traditional Chinese painting,the work strongly reminds of Alain Resnai’s “Année dernière à Marienbad.” Playing with objects, vehicles bordering on the absurd-that is the strength of Zhang Qing. At the same time he is concerned with defaulting perception by way of exaggeration.

Where art thou going “Young Chinese Art”? In any case the young scene is lively. Even if -as mentioned above- the textual punch of the nineties has made way for a more unencumbered art practice. (English Translation: Xenia Tetmajer von Przerwa)

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

 The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.

Hou hanru

China is no doubt the most attractive centre of attention for the world today, not only in terms of it’s economic development, but also in terms of its cultural and social mutations. Accordingly, China’s contemporary art is becoming a new emerging force in the global art scene in the beginning of the 21st century. The presence of Chinese artists in major international art event is spectacularly increasing while more and more people from the international art world are visiting and acting in the Chinese art scene. It’s no surprise that one can talk about a genuine fever for everything Chinese. This renders the prize CCAA (Chinese Contemporary Art Awards) a new implication. It’s an internationally significant event instead of a solely “internal affaire” in the Chinese art world.

It is in this context that one should ask the question: what’s the real significance of Chinese contemporary art n the Chinese society and in the globalising world today. One can also raise the question, through exploring the “boom” of Chinese art, of the significance of contemporary art in general in the world.

Contemporary art activities in China has been developed along with the speedy modernisation process of the country. It’s fundamentally a movement of experiment and “avant’garde”. The ultimate motivation is to achieve freedom of imagination and expressin although the cultural, political and economic conditions are constantly changing and evolving towards further opening. However, the rapid modernisation and integration into the global market economy and geopolitical restructuring imply new and increasing pressure coming from the demand of the economic growth and transformation of the nature of cultural activities into exchangeable “objects” in the global market and communication systems. this provokes a kind of unprecedented collective fever for development and consumption. Ironically, this tendency pushes further the uniformisation of the society under the banner of material development and leaves less and less space for individual freedom and independent intellectual positioning.

In this situation, it’s urgent that we should articulate on the importance of re-examining the independent and individual positions and expressions in the arts, as a concentrated reflection to the necessity of rethinking China’s and the world’s intellectual and cultural maps.

China is going through a period of explosive boom of material development, consumption and urbanisation. In the meantime, further social democratisation and justice building are evolving in rather slow paces, not to say stagnated. the populations are increasingly being swallowed into the spiral of migration and social reclassification. However, as pointed out above, individual freedom, and especially, creativity, have not been much encouraged and increased. Like most of the intelligentsia, artists are caught into an even more intense contradiction between material improvement and spiritual limitation. Covering an extremely immense territory and different contexsts, contemporary art in China is a highly diverse and complex scene. the opportunities of frequent presences in the internal and international art worlds have not only excited the artists while integrating into the global art market becomes a new condition of work. For many, it’s also a crucial moment for critical reflections on reality and consolidation of personal stances and independence. These artists, by further profound researches and persistence on their own thoughts, imaginations and creativities, reaffirm that very essential vocation of art is open spaces for freedom, freedom of imagination and creation. Instead of manipulating superficially “social and political signs: to satisfy the expectations of institutions and market, they refuse to be instrumentalised by either national or international establishments. They resort to the most diverse and personal languages and references to express their ultimate fantasy. Often with great senses of humour and distant but pungent comments, they fabricate their own heavens, their own paradises, of imagination, fantasy, and ideals. Incorporating experiences navigating between memories and dreams, between personal desires and philosophical reflections, between everyday, “minor” initiatives and revolutionary, utopian projects…they are constantly developing their works in the most unpredictable, unfathomable and even uncertain ways.

Using all kinds of imaginable media, they open their works and lives to the most risky intellectual and cultural adventures. In the middle and late 1990s,the most spectacular phenomenon in the Chinese scene was, among others, actions and images that directly involved corporal conditions, often suffering and violent. It was a kind of mixture of desperation and lose of self-control in front of a schizophrenic world. However, along with the establishment and “normalisation” of a consumerist and urbanised society, especially along with the prevailing of electronic images in the urban world, ranging from TV programs to advertisements, from pop culture to the internet…,the introduction of multimedia such as video, digital photography and computer technologies has fundamentally changed the approaches and languages of the artists’ creations, and more importantly their visions and imaginations. A great number of video and cinema works have been created to provide entirely new narratives of the individual and collective lives in the Chinese society today while new fantasies and critical discourses are being generated through the making of those narratives. On the other hand, urbanisation is also deeply influending the mutation of the art scene. More and more artists are now exploring the possibilities of bridging urban life and art, and especially the possibilities of merging architectural design and visual arts. All in all, these allow the artists to re-engage themselves with the real. And, they are obviously reflected in the results of this year’s CCAA judgments.

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

 The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.

The establishment of Chinese contemporary art system has long been an enduring pursuit for many aspirants dedicated to the art industry. Without a wholesome system, it could be an overnight fever the Chinese contemporary art craze that booms internally in these years and wins a cult following in the West. Among all the social art institutions, museums, foundations, galleries, auctions, collection institutions, of course, the long-term support of the state’s policy of art plays a far more decisive role. In particular, the non-profit sponsorship, investment and related preferential policies are badly needed to secure a well-balanced, mild climate for the art ecosystem. And then it is possible to make maximal use of social resources, and accordingly, contemporary art can enjoy a sustainable development.

From 1990 onwards, Chinese contemporary art system hasn’t undergone, officially or unofficially, a sound growth. In spite of this, there are still many who are willing to dedicate themselves to the incubation and foundation of this undertaking. They are among others, artists, curators, collectors, and galleries, as well as friends from home and abroad. Historic and fundamental is the cause they are committed to. A sound organism won’t be available unless that said system is applied. In this way Chinese contemporary art will be in position to conduct the communication as well as the value exchange with local public, and it will find its own platform where it can steer a fair dialogue with international communities. In the recent years, Chinese contemporary art, with an even more popularized understanding of systemization, has been galloping on the professional and standardized super highway, and is regarded as the fresh blood in the next decade’s international art scene. Founded in 1998 by Uli sigg, the Chinese Contemporary Art Awards filled the blank that no relevant awards and institutes had ever existed before in China. though established y a foreigner, CCAA fortifies effectively and essentially the critical joint in the establishment of Chinese contemporary art.

Thanks to the enthusiasm of Uli sigg and some o=international curators from the jury, CCAA has been made an important event of contemporary art, calling great attention of Chinese artists especially the young generation. During the course of the first three editions, CCAA enacted a deal of scholarly programs, as the communication between the jury and the artists, visits to artists’ studios and the like. Through the attentive database building and academic survey, the event granted the curators and critics in the jury accesses to a close-up understanding of artists, and encouraged a number of gifted promising young artists to surface with more public concern and support. In the meanwhile, the Award reached its maturity with a well-established system and an ever-evolving approach which could provide artists rationally and fairly with efficient conditions.

The year 2004 saw the 4th edition of CCAA. According to the actuality of Chinese contemporary art, this edition gave some modifications and improvements to its operation and procedures in hope of gaining the knowledge of the actual situation, discovering young artists as well as sorting out artists with the most potentially influence. To this end, the Award abolished the application-form session which used to be accessible for the public, and set up instead new rules and procedures in accordance with the experiences obtained through the last three editions. this time, a pre-jury, with some a-list emerging curators in its lineup, nominated the candidates, conducted discussions, and drafted a shortlist for the jury.

The jury started the program in September 2003 right after Sigg had appointed the art director. Having referred to a great deal of advice, Uli Sigg determined to keep 1 overall prize, 1 Young Artist Prize (Only for the Artist Thirty Years Old or Younger) and a few honorable mention for CCAA 2004, and added a further achievement prize for honouring a mature and active artist who has frequently contributed a lot of art works to Chinese contemporary art.

Once the program was launched, the art director Gu Zhenqing recommended 4 other emerging curators, namely, Yang xinyi, Feng Boyi, Zhang Li and Li Xu, to form the pre-jury which through the discussion about the rules and methods agreed that each member should nominate 10 artists and collect related data for the final discussion. Though these curators were not familiar with then active figures, they set out to investigate and make the nominations out of their high sense of responsibility. After near half year’s work came out a list of 40 artists-ruled out the repetitions-which covered a group of most noted artists in years. And eventually the jury of CCAA received a strictly screened shortlist of 22 artists together with the detailed data and recommendation texts on each artist written by the pre-jury members.

In the early of May, 2004, the jury of CCAA 2004 had a conference in Switzerland. Having listened to the review and opinions of the pre-jury’s work given by the director Gu Zhengqing, Ai Weiwei, Uli sigg, Alanna Heiss, Harald Szeemann and Hou Hanru as the jury members digested the video, pictures and texts on the 22 artists together with the detailed data and recommendation texts on each artist written by the pre-jury members.

And later, Uli Sigg, as the founder of CCAA, held press conference separately at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Beijing and Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art where he announced the winners of CCAA 2004 and shed light on the concept of CCAA. The procedures and outcomes rendered CCAA another high-profile act in Chinese contemporary art scene, drawing local attention to the contemporary art scene, drawing local attention to the contemporary art and sparking repercussion in the international realm of art.

From the end of 2004 till 2005, the 4th edition of the Award reached its final phase. Through the editorial work, a publication will be issued in an effort to show the jury’s work and eight artists’ thoughts and their current states. It includes the interviews with artists made by members in the pre-jury and almost all the judges contributed essays to this publication. And with the editorial work and this publication, the Award hopes to promote the image and position of Chinese contemporary art in the globe.

Now CCAA is producing its influence and providing a vivid profile of the current context of Chinese contemporary art from which the international and local societies can understand artists’ attitudes, their positions, the values of their creative work as well as the social criticism and cultural rethinking in their art. In reality, the works of some established artists have been made the part of the history of Chinese contemporary art.

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.

While setting up his version of the Rent Collection Courtyard at the Venice Biennale in 1999, Cai Guo-Qiang asked me why I had invited so many Chinese artists? I told him that in the west especially in New York and Paris, everything had become so boring and uncreative. After the interpreter had translated what I said, I was full of anticipation, expecting an affirmative response. But Cai informed me that he was living in New York.
That detour is unnecessary in order to put it in positive terms: since the last revolution of the arts at the end of the sixties, there has been no subversive art; good artists, yes, but the subcutaneous rebelliousness has disappeared in the west, and that explains my interest in China. Whether work is traditionally painted or sculpted, whether painting is undermined by rolling picture scrolls or by videos, subversiveness is always part of the message. This may be explained by the context: artists who stay in the country want to change things and want to gain freedom of action. However, recognition from outside, from the west is important to them as well.

In terms of iconography and composition, Chinese artists have surprised the west. They have all had academic training but have broken with it because of the content. Scratching movements are turned into a sculpture through projected multiplication on several monitors. Western press   photographs of current events are translated from two into three dimensions, and the sculpture, placed at the edge of the depicted, breaks off abruptly as an interface. Since there is nothing left to see in the source image, the sculpture need not be complete either. Everywhere one senses that the Chinese are beginning to flex their muscles, not just politically or economically but also artistically. Aware of their importance, they dare to invoke ancient dreams where the spiritual wedding between orient and occident ironically takes place by laundering a lavish western and eastern book. Piles of lacerated paper are the result. Globalisation generates symposia, summit meetings and conferences. But on tables connected to each other – eastern chairs lined up on one side, western ones on the other – one reads: “the eternal misunderstanding” And the manipulated cover of Spiegel magazine shows an empty throne that competes with the ratings of Western financial papers but also outmanoeuvres them by flaunting the top story: who will garner the art throne in China. Sarcastic? Yes, but also refreshing. As well as the fact that their taboos are so very different from ours. The human body is sacred to us; in China its every part is available for experimentation.
Equally remarkable is the fact that the most serious, most talented, most unassuming and consequently most exciting painters also come from China. I am still intrigued: with Rainbow¡¯s whiplashes across a back, with Chinese superwomen floating triumphant with their own currency above spent representatives of the dollar, with gaggles of cloned babies at the movies watching the atrocities committed by un-coned people.

About Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA

 The Contemporary Chinese Art Awards CCAA are given biannually to Chinese artists and art critics who show particular talent in artistic creation and in its critique – to encourage their development through its publications and exhibitions, and to enhance awareness and appreciation of a wider public for what Chinese contemporary art contributes to contemporary culture. CCAA has been founded in 1997 by Uli Sigg, former Swiss Ambassador to China and leading collector of Chinese contemporary art.