Like a Light Switch

To kick off Ullens Center for Contemporary Art （UCCA）s 2013 program， ON | OFF： Chinas Young Artists in Concept and Practice， focusing on the new generation of young Chinese artists， filled UCCA exhibition space with a breath of fresh air.

The title “ON | OFF”， inspired by the graphic interface of common VPN （virtual private network） software， not only reflects some aspects of Chinas social transformation， which have influenced the growth of contemporary artists， but also alludes to the artists binary approaches to both concept and practice.

“To define an entire generation of artists simply by a common style， a theme， a concept or a trend is no longer suitable because each artist is independent with a different perspective on art，” remarked Bao Dong， one curator of ON | OFF. “Influenced by graphic interfaces like a switch， we employed the sensibility of ‘switchingto describe young artists practices and the macro environment of Chinese contemporary art and society， instead of defining them with a static term.”

Along with Bao， Sun Dongdong is another curator of ON | OFF. More than a year before the exhibition， the duo began visiting dozens of Chinese cities， where key communities of Chinese young artists could be found， and met more than 200 of them. Eventually， 50 artists， born between 1976 and 1989， were selected. Growing up against the background of Chinas reform and opening-up and launching art careers in a new century， these young artists have become the most energetic players in Chinese contemporary art. “Most of them started their career upon graduating around 1999， when a relatively mature contemporary art environment was already formed in China，” noted Sun Dongdong.

The turn of the century also marked a turning point for Chinese contemporary art， when it veered away from the underground scene of the 1990s. Meanwhile， with the ubiquity of the internet and the maturity of a new generation of artists， the system of Chinese contemporary art took shape after 1999 and gradually climbed to its peak before the market bubble burst in 2003. Having witnessed such an evolu- tion， these young artists became an integral piece of the complicated system of Chinese contemporary art.

Chinese contemporary art has become more important on the global stage. Todays artists have to cope with myriad worries beyond artistic creation such as winning the market， integrating with mass media and art media， embracing relatively stiff academic theory， and staying informed about the latest artistic developments. Successfully accomplishing all of these tasks requires the sensibility of “switching” in artistic practices.

“When we select works， we focus on contrast and try to include every medium including painting， photography， and installation，” revealed Bao Dong. On the selection process for ON | OFF， Bao illustrated，“We never use any specific criteria， but rather focus on individualism and integrity of the creative process.”

Above all， ON | OFF is not a reference to either the exhibitions works or artists. Instead， it serves as a platform to encourage observation and discussion from multiple angles. During the event， book releases， forums， performances and film screenings on related subjects also took place. A documentary titled ON | OFF， directed by Xie Meng， who followed the curators as they traveled across China researching and seeking out a “new generation” of creative minds， was also screened.

“Since its founding in 2007， the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art has been a platform to launch the freshest artistic voices in China and position them between contexts of Chinese and international contemporary arts，” declared UCCA director Philip Tinari. “Along with our role as a platform to showcase art to the public， we endeavor to remain neutral and never judge or lead visitors to judge any artists or work. With this in mind， we have been focused on displaying the art， and staying quiet so that spectators can appreciate the power of youth in Chinese contemporary art from their own individual perspectives.”