When contemporary Chinese art first attracted international attention in the 1990s, it was assumed that the violent crackdown of the student protests at Tiananmen Square in 1989 influenced the...Show moreWhen contemporary Chinese art first attracted international attention in the 1990s, it was assumed that the violent crackdown of the student protests at Tiananmen Square in 1989 influenced the development of Chinese art. However, the history of June Fourth remains a blind spot in official Chinese history and only exists in the memories of its witnesses. Although research has been done on the practical restrictions and ideological consequences on art, June Fourth has not yet been analyzed as a subject in contemporary Chinese art. Of course obvious artistic references to the protests are rare; however I propose to research the inclusion of June Fourth in contemporary Chinese art through an analysis of the relation between art and memory. Starting with the relation between art and cultural memory in the People's Republic of China, the essay will continue with the analysis of icons of memory and the relation between the index and memory. Gradually, the thesis will shift into a more abstract analysis of the possible connection between memory and art, through the notion of the post-memory. The influence of June Fourth on contemporary art is complex and exists at multiple levels simultaneously. Ultimately, the thesis intends provide an analysis of contemporary Chinese art through memory, as complementing force to what is acknowledged as (official) history.Show less
This paper sets out to investigate the interpretations of contemporary Chinese art within the international art context. In this sense the paper aims to highlight whether, and how, such...Show moreThis paper sets out to investigate the interpretations of contemporary Chinese art within the international art context. In this sense the paper aims to highlight whether, and how, such interpretations reflects latent assumptions about the positional superiority of western academic practices and by extension western practices. Concurrently the paper also sets to highlight the potential limitations of contemporary art practices both within Chinese, but also, broader international contexts.Show less
