An exhibition in the Museum for photography opened up new perspectives on 50 years of Chinese art. In the centre: the “ten years of Chaos” of 1966-76. How do contemporary photographers with this image of the estate?
“Work in history,” the curators übertitelten an exhibition on contemporary Chinese photography, which is now to be seen in Berlin’s Museum for photography. It is the story of a “Red time”, the “ten years of Chaos” of the cultural revolution. 16 artists and artist have dealt with the imagery and the photography of the cultural revolution, apart. “Your work reflects this very special way of expression, ironically, of its time: critical, or humorous,” says Wang Huangsheng, one of the exhibition curators, the selection of Works. “These artists are all very different, some are very serious, others show a sense of Humor. Wang Qingsong, for example, is very ironic. Others deal with the ideas of that time.”
Wang Huang Sheng, one of the curators of the exhibition
Wang Huangsheng is Director of the Museum of China Central art Academy. In addition to the artistic and art-historical aspects, he also has a personal connection to the theme: “The cultural revolution was an era that brought a lot of harm, even for my family. This exhibition reflects these problems, you deal with it.” Do not stand while in the political and historical context of the last 50 years in China, the political discourse, but their purpose and meaning. So, too, Ludger Derenthal, Director of the photography collection of the Berlin art library. The historical perspective leads to a better understanding of contemporary Chinese photographic art.
Staging of Mao as an icon
Mao Zedong in 1966, in a Bathrobe, after he had the Yangzi swam: popular, healthy and strong. On the poster the poem below is reprinted, the Mao be symbolic of Bad wrote
One who has contributed to this historical perspective, is the photographic artist Cai Dong Dong. He has collected half a Million photographs, images from the years 1949 to 1979, and a large part of it comes from the time of the cultural revolution. In China people have helped to gather the Material together. Some of these images are seen in Berlin: people that are meant to be shown in private, in Poznan, the political productions of the same.
For the enforcement of revolutionary goals of the cultural revolution played in the years, in addition to wall Newspapers, pictures and newspaper photos a huge role. Press photos were sent in all corners of China, they served as a template for large posters, and even paintings. Its Aesthetics defines the General idea of the cultural revolution. Weng Naiqiang certain as the head of the photography Department of the magazines “China in the picture” which images are suitable for the mobilization of the masses. The propagandistic productions made Mao to the Central icon.
Group portraits, private photos and press images in the converted Form
The Work of that time constitute the frame of reference for the works of current photographers and artists. You can transfer the historical group portraits, and private photographs, and press shots in today’s relationships, tell how Feng Mengbo private history. Cai Dong Dong faced the photographic heritage with critical positions, for example, in his “shooting exercises”. Wang Qing song is ironic, Song Yongping reflected a sober and at the same time infinitely sad the impermanence of life. Song painted a portrait of his parents in a triptych, the, you, during, and after the cultural revolution shows, as part of a series.
Other artists to document the legacy of the cultural revolution, in all its ambiguity between painful memories and faded enthusiasm. Cao Kai’s video work points out that the “summer of 1969” has thrilled not only in China, the youth in masses.
An excerpt from the work “450 cultural revolution”, in the hundreds of motifs from the cultural revolution, compiled in a ‘red’ image, and in part had been painted over
The cultural revolution remains a subject to Suppression
All of the contemporary images of the exhibition in Berlin could also be seen in China, even if it is not planned to show you in this compilation. The reappraisal of the cultural revolution taking place in China, but only in academic circles and in the art. In the General population, the topic is still taboo. For the opening, three of the artists were present, Cai Dong-Dong, Wang Qing song and Zhang Kechun. None of them was able to speak with his parents over the ten years from 1966 to 1976. The memories were painful.