ARTISTS TALKING
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The Chinese way
Artist Chloe Steele reports on her research trip to China, a country powering itself into the next generation as a major economic player. With a changing political make-up and growing middle class, China is establishing itself as a key player in the international art world.
With support from Suffolk County Council's Making Art Work scheme I travelled to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, covering some 4,500 kilometres in just over three weeks at the end of 2002. My trip coincided with two major exhibitions: the Shanghai Biennale, titled 'Urban Creation', was based on the themes of architecture and urban space and featured work by sixty international artists and architects, while the first ever Guangzhou Triennial, 'Reinterpretation: A Decade of Experimental Chinese Art (1990-2000)' showed exclusively Chinese artists. These exhibitions seemed representative of the country – where for many years artists have had to work under a repressive state – finally becoming an international centre for art. The main aims of my trip were to research the contemporary art scene in Shanghai and Beijing, with a view to exhibiting and getting involved in a future residency; I also returned with a list of contacts in both China and the UK. The Guangzhou Triennial gave me a comprehensive insight into Chinese art and I also visited the major museums and art galleries in Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou, and their independent and commercial...
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