My Generation: Young Chinese Artists

My Generation: Young Chinese Artists

By PAUL LASTER, JUN 2014

The first American exhibition to focus exclusively on the post-Mao generation of Chinese artists, My Generation: Young Chinese Artists features the painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and video by 27 artists from mainland China that were born after 1976—the year of Mao’s death. Curated by Chinese contemporary art specialist Barbara Pollack, the exhibition examines five expansive themes (personal relationships, the family, politics, the urban environment, and religion) at the Tampa Art Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. 

“You have to really throw out stereotypes of Chinese contemporary art when you look at this work. These artists are rebelling against the commercialization of China, which they see the older generation of artists having done," Pollock told Whitehot on opening day. "Between the older generation of artists and this generation it's as though they grew up in two different countries and two different centuries. They come from all over China and from all kinds of economic backgrounds, but mainly live in Beijing or Shanghai for career reasons. There is not one artist in this show that has a day job. There's a big enough market in China that if you can make it through the art schools you can have a successful career. All of these artists have been exhibiting since they got out of art school.”

The featured artists and collectives in the exhibition are Birdhead, Chen Wei, Chi Peng, Cui Jie, Double Fly Art Center, Fang Lu, Guo Hongwei, Hu Xiangqian, Hu Xiaoyuan, Huang Ran, Irrelevant Commission, Jin Shan, Liang Yuanwei, Liu Chuang, Liu Di, Lu Fang, Ma Qiusha, Qiu Xiaofei, Shi Zhiying, Song Kun, Sun Xun, Wang Yuyang, Xu Zhen (MadeIn), Yan Xing, Zhang Ding, Zhao Zhao, and Zhou Yilun. Coming of age in a more liberalized society than the previous generation of artists, they have been influenced as much by international art and globalization as they have been by their own culture.

Artist Sun Xun

Tampa Museum of Art director Todd Smith and My Generation curator Barbara Pollack

Artist Ye Nan with Irrelevant Commission's installation

Artist Jin Shan and art collector Anne Wong Schultz with Jin Shan's installation

Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg assistant curator of art after
1950 Katherine Pill with a painting from Zhang Ding's installation

My Generation curator Barbara Pollack with Sun Xun installation at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg

Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg director Kent Lydecker

Artist Jason Hackenwerth with his wife Michelle with Shi Zhiying painting

Artscribe Alexandra Peers with Xu Zhen/MadeIn mixed-media on canvas

My Generation curator Barbara Pollack with Cui Jie painting

Architect Brandon Hicks

Artscribe Lilly Wei with Guo Hongwei work on paper

Oklahoma City Museum of Art's head of design and installation Ernesto Sanchez and curator
Alison Amick with Hu Xiaoyuan's ink on solo painting

Tampa Museum of Art chief curator Seth Pevnick with Song Kun painting

Art collectors Allison and Tom Luzier and Tampa Museum of Art board of trustees vice chair Allison Adams

Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg director Kent Lydecker and Tampa Museum of Art director Todd Smith

My Generation curator Barbara Pollack with Shi Zhiying painting

Tampa Museum of Art's board of trustees chair Debra Williams McDaniel
and director Todd Smith with Jin Shan's installation

Art collector Linda Saul-Sena with Qiu Xiaofei painting

Artists Nancy Davenport and Janet Biggs

Gallerist Mindy Solomon and Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg
assistant curator of art after 1950 Katherine Pill with Qiu Xiaofei painting

The Art Newspaper China feature editor Sammi Liu with Jin Shan's installation

My Generation is a single show divided between the Tampa Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. It’s on view at both museums through September 28, 2014. The exhibition will travel to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art where it will be on view from October 24, 2014 through January 18, 2015.