Skip to main content

Distributed for Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago

Exhibiting Experimental Art in China

In his new book, Wu Hung raises timely questions about artistic freedom and censorship. Here, as in the Smart Museum’s exhibition Canceled: Exhibiting Experimental Art in China, Wu uses the government’s cancellation of the exhibition It’s Me (Beijing, 1998) to anchor his analysis of the challenges faced by contemporary Chinese artists and curators.

During this time of rapid change in mainland China, artists and curators are seeking new ways to show work, and finding new allies, patrons and audiences. They are investigating ways to respond to official antagonism, to realize the potential of experimental art in the public sphere, and to maintain the independence of this art in an increasingly commercialized society. Wu addresses these issues through a survey of current exhibition practices, a discussion of the Smart Museum exhibition, a case study of It’s Me, a rich collection of primary materials from eleven recent exhibitions. By introducing readers to the complex milieu of experimental artists and curators in China, Wu makes a major contribution to the growing scholarship on contemporary Chinese culture.

224 pages | 111 color plates, 29 halftones | 7-1/4 x 11 | © 2000

Art: Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Art


Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Exhibiting Experimental Art in China
Part One: Canceled: An Exhibition about an Exhibition
Part Two: It’s Me: A Case Study
Part Three: Twelve Experimental Exhibitions: A Documentary History
Appendix: A Chronicle of Experimental Exhibitions in China (1990-2000)
Selected Bibliography

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press