Art News

Chinese Contemporary Art Awards 2008 Exhibition

The Chinese Contemporary Art Awards were founded by Uli Sigg, a former Swiss ambassador to China and one of the most influential collectors of Chinese contemporary art a decade ago. Over time, the CCAA have played a significant role in enhancing the status of contemporary art both domestically and internationally.

"When I founded the art awards, I did it because I found that the Chinese artists at that time did not get the recognition they deserved, either internationally or domestically. In order to help change this, I considered setting up this award. It was my aim to bring important international and Chinese curators together in one space to consider Chinese art."

At a time when China's art market is boiling over, the objective of the CCAA has shifted to emphasize a critical position in the debate over what constitutes meaningful art.

This year's award winners, Ai Weiwei, Liu Wei and Tseng Yu-Chin, were selected by a jury consisting of esteemed critics, artists and curators from around the globe.

Ai Weiwei, a nearly fabled figure in Chinese contemporary art, claimed the Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Born in Beijing in1957, Ai Weiwei has been described by The New York Times as a "figure of Warholian celebrity in China". He was an original player in China's first contemporary art wave, The Stars, in the late 1970s.

The artist lived in the United States for about a decade since 1981, doing performance art and creating conceptual art by altering readymade objects.

Pi Li is the director of CCAA and curator of the exhibition.

"Ai Weiwei was under the influence of Pop Art and Dadaism, and by using ready-made materials, his works often reflect the cultural circumstances of our society."

Today, Ai Weiwei's creative touch seems to be everywhere in Beijing. He runs a gallery in Caochangdi, a farming village on the outskirts of the city that has been transformed into a lively artists' colony. In addition, he was the artistic consultant on the design of the National Stadium built for the Olympics. Pi Li explains why Ai Weiwei won the award.

"The jury committee of CCAA decided to give the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ai Weiwei for his persistent artistic endeavors during the last two decades, and the encouragement and help he has offered to fledgling artists, and most importantly, the critical stand the artist takes as an independent intellectual."

Sitting right at the entrance of the exhibition space is Ai's large installation, The Forever Bicycle. Forever is one of the most famous traditional bicycle brands in China, and Ai Weiwei thus uses it as a Chinese icon. The installation, consisting of 500 shattered Forever bicycles, reminds people of the slowly disappearing bicycle scene in the country.

Stacy Duff is a Beijing-based American journalist.

"When I first came to China in 1999, one thing when I noticed about China was that there were lots of bicycles. There were hardly any cars. The only people who had cars were businessmen in taxis like the little yellow bread loaf taxis. After 2003, after SARS, that's when people started to buy cars, and it feels there are fewer bicycles out there. So seeing all these dissembled bicycles, it does make me think of a comment on car culture now and the fact that people use bicycles are less and less in China."

This year's Best Artist Award went to emerging artist Liu Wei. Liu's practice spans a range of media, including painting, video, installation and sculpture. His work often contains incisive social satire and striking visual impact.

Uprooted Obelisk is a new work dating from 2008. The obelisk is a major symbol of ancient Egyptian civilization. Its defining feature is a pointed square column that tapers at the top, ending in a point. In this work, an obelisk eight meters tall has been pulled out of the ground and inverted. The obelisk has borne the weight of social migration, expansion and invasion, along with the sins and glories of civilization. The realization that these things could be uprooted induces a reconsideration of values.

Pauline Yao is an American independent art critic working in China.

"I think Liu's piece is quite interesting, especially because of the timing of this obelisk monument. As an American, this is a very strong symbol in Washington D.C. of the Washington Monument. We just had the elections in America only a few days ago. In my mind, as a viewer, it's something that I noticed right away. For me, it's a visual connection."

While the uprooted Obelisk brought people cultural shocks, the impact of financial crisis on China's contemporary art becomes a hot issue this year. Uli Sigg, founder of CCAA said that the crisis may affect him personally so that he could no longer fund the award, but he has also been looking for partners, including Chinese enterprises to support Chinese art. At the same time, lover's of contemporary art also shows confidence.

"So it definitely will affect China. How many collectors will be affected by the crisis? What's gonna happen? Are they gonna sell their work because they really need money? One interesting thing is if the crisis does hit China, as part of it hits people in the West, is this an opportunity for Chinese collectors to start buying back some of the Chinese contemporary art the Western collectors already have? That's a possibility."

Today, the Chinese Contemporary Art Awards have become an important benchmark of success for artists working in China. This year's CCAA winners are as dynamic as they are diverse. These artists share the ability to continuously surprise and challenge audiences, and an unceasing desire to question and expand the rules of art.