CHINA 8

by+Yi+Mei

Home to numerous museums and an array of outstanding cultural institutions， the artistic and cultural landscape along the Rhine and Ruhr rivers is unique worldwide. Events staged during“RUHR.2010” proved a key milestone in boosting the image of this culturally rich region. To ensure a lasting legacy from the RUHR.2010 festivities， the regions museums began exploring the possibility of launching a joint international exhibition project with support of the Foundation for Art and Culture. With “CHINA 8 – Contemporary Art from China on the Rhine and Ruhr，” organizers have now succeeded in bringing this idea to fruition： Nine museums in eight cities along the Rhine and Ruhr are presenting 120 artists in the most comprehensive museum-based survey of contemporary Chinese art worldwide. Visitors planning to attend the various segments of this exhibition will also embark on a journey through the Ruhr region. “The European City of Culture RUHR.2010 demonstrated that in terms of forging collaborative partnerships， the cultural metropolis of the Ruhr is internationally competitive，” remarked Fritz Pleitgen， former CEO of RURH.2010. “Consequently we are confident that one week after the inauguration of the Venice Biennale， CHINA 8 is set to further highlight Europes art calendar.”

With support from Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economics and Energy Sigmar Gabriel， CHINA 8 opened on May 13 with a central inauguration ceremony staged in the MKM Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst in Duisburg. Showing works from fields of painting， photography， calligraphy， ink drawing， sculpture， installation art and video， the event will last until September 13th.“Contemporary Chinese art has enriched and energized the international art scene， as visitors to the CHINA 8 exhibition can confirm，” added Gabriel. “Simultaneously presenting contemporary angles of China in eight cities and nine museums is a marvelous idea. And this concept not only reflects the diversity of modern art， but also furnishes various genres， be it painting， photography or sculpture， with the ideal platform.” As the exhibition opened to the general public on May 14， local opening events， artist conversations and liveperformances were staged throughout the subsequent weekend.

Executive artistic responsibility for the exhibition project CHINA 8 has been jointly entrusted to Walter Smerling（spokesman of the curatorial committee and Director of the MKM Museum Küppersmühle）， Ferdinand Ullrich （Kunsthalle Recklinghausen）， and Tobia Bezzola （Director of the Folkwang Museum）. In close consultation with directors of all participating museums， the curatorial committee has framed the overall artistic concept. The Chinese consultant to the curatorial committee is Fan Dian， President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts （CAFA） in Beijing.

With their respective collecting histories， unique spatial conditions and programmatic focus， each museum is exhibiting contrasting genres of contemporary Chinese art： With the title “New Figuration，” the Lehmbruck Museum will be showing sculptures， the Kunstmuseum Mülheim an der Ruhr installations and sculptures as “Models of Irritation，” and the Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen is devot-ing its galleries to ink painting and calligraphy under the title “Tradition Today.”The Kunsthalle Recklinghausen is projecting a “Panorama of Painting” with its presentation of emerging and socially critical painting. Exploring “The Vocabulary of the Visible World，” the MKM Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst is specializing in Chinese painters who have already gained national and international acclaim. Video and sound as a medium of “Arrested Time” are being presented in the Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten Marl， while the Osthaus Museum Hagen is featuring installations and objects as “Paradigms of Art.”Under the title “Works in Progress，” the Museum Folkwang in Essen is exhibiting a collection of modern photography， which is also being shown in China simultaneously. With its “Overview – Views of China，”the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf serves as the“entrée” to the exhibition and has assembled works by several participating artists from across genres. Their vibrant interaction etches a multifaceted snapshot of the prevailing artistic landscape in China.

From cultural and political perspectives， CHINA 8 is also of great significance to the state of North-Rhine Westphalia. For the first time since RUHR.2010， nine museums in eight cities are collaborating to mount an international exhibition project and foster cultural dialogue between Asia and Europe， China and Germany. And many parallels have emerged： The Ruhr metropolis， Germanys largest metro area with 5.1 million inhabitants， is currently undergoing a structural transformation. China too is in the grip of a structural transformation in societal， economic and cultural terms， which is progressing at an astonishing pace. This is reflected by the artists and their works.