Chinese Art Unions in the 21st Century and their Place in the Space of Contemporary Art
Keywords:
Chinese art; art unions of China; creative associations; art association; guohua; contemporary art.Abstract
The purpose of this study was to provide a broad picture of the current state of Chinese art unions both at home and abroad, and to shed light on Chinese artistic trends. In relation to the growing activity that is being demonstrated by the Chinese artistic community during the last decades, there has been a noticeable expansion of the geography of Chinese art associations (unions), and a significant increase in the number of participants as well as types and directions of art in which masters work. The authors classified and defined the role of art associations in accordance with the analysis of statutory documents, scientific literature, and media publications in Chinese language. In addition to that, the authors described various functions of the unions: linking creators and viewers, contributing to the formation of a professional community, promoting Chinese art, and stimulating interest in the culture of other countries. A characteristic feature of the phenomenon of art unions is their ambivalent position: on the one hand, the unions' status depends on general trends of the creative environment; on the other hand, it determines the key processes of the artistic life of the region. This feature and the growing significance of Chinese culture in the world defines the importance of studying the topic from an art history perspective, as well as the need to systematize the forms of Chinese art unions and to comprehend their activities.
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