Artists of A Modern China

When we talk about Asia, once country often pops into mind more frequently than any other- China. Donald Trump himself, has often referenced the business giant in many of his conference speeches and public addresses. The country's large expands of land houses a population famously known for being the best at mass-producing industry items.

Fortunately for China, the highly cultural society pays a lot of respects to their artisans, putting the forerunners of visual arts in high regard within social investments. Museums, art galleries and even schools have partnered with collectors to showcase the country's rich history of watercolor paintings, terracotta sculptures and more modern pieces from today's new and upcoming masters of art.

One person who has touched on the more modern side of Chinese art is sculptor Zheng Lu (郑路). This modernist has a portfolio of creations that are simply magnificent to behold, at least for many of us on the editorial team. A particular favorite series takes the splashing movement of water, and renders it into crisp, convoluted compositions that seem frozen in reflective metal. Such a style has enchanted a large portion of the Chinese public, and Lu's works have been cast into public monuments across major cities in China.







Zheng Lu's interpretations of natural wonder stir the senses into a believable paradox. His solid, yet flow-like sculptures give a us a sense of tranquility in an effortless form, without sharing the labor-intensive secrets of their creation and process. China's traditional artists have also played their part in influencing more modern practitioners. A deep-rooted appreciation for the elements, such as water, earth and fire, serves as a basis for a lot of subject matter in Chinese artistry.

Going even further into the development of Chinese art, we can take a look at the very existentially themed figures of Huang Yu Long (黄玉龙). This artist has become quite well known for his contemporary hooded-buddha sculptures, that seek to convey his message of the ongoing societal exchange between Chinese traditions and Western, contemporary beliefs. His pieces depict in many ways, the curious change happening more gravely within each new generation of Chinese citizens, as they forego ancient ways and beliefs in favor of foreign advancements and trends.







Yu Long graduated from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China's Jiangxi Province. Ever since his first art show, his style has always been growing and adapting to the many social issues and concerns that for him, need to be addressed by the most basic units of the current Chinese civilization. The curious, signature look of his figurines would be the missing head piece underneath a lifted hood, which has become a very strong symbol of his own personal expressions and beliefs.

If we're speaking about contemporary artists that have catapulted China to the forefront of the genre, Yue Minjun (岳敏君) is probably the one to mention. Called a cynical realist by several of his peers and the media, Yue has become famously received in many parts of the world for his pioneering "frozen laughter" artworks (which depict his own face by the way). Yue sort of rejects the allocation of the term cynical realism to his works, not believing in the labels touted around by people and critics.









His red-faced paintings and stark, gigantic sculptures are all of his laughing face, stylized in a very original manner. This highly recognizable trait has been copied by many younger artists, but Yue still retains the belt for being the first to propagate and popularize his style of 'happy expressionism' that the world has come to love.

Liu Jianhua's (刘建华) incredibly contemporary porcelain works and Sui Jianguo's (隋建國) conceptual "Made-in-China" themed assemblages are also among the more modern series of artworks coming out of China's fast-moving visual community. Trends, movements and advancements are all gearing the country for a higher form of art, however the very nostalgic traditions from their ancient cultures will always prove to be a factor in the way Chinese artisans conduct themselves in their respective fields. Chinese artists who have migrated to many different countries also carry with them, this sense of traditional influence. One such example is Kylo Chua Tsai (蔡宗凱)- a Chinese sculptor residing in the Philippines, who's delicate water-inspired figurine-sculptures also draw from an profound sense of elemental continuity. We'll mention more about this in our next country-themed documentary of modern art.