The Rising Tide
The scene of the greatest economic and cultural metamorphosis of our time, China is
not only at the center of the world’s attention but has arguably the most vital,
imaginative, and uncontainable art scene in the world. The Rising Tide investigates
China’s meteoric march toward the future through the work of some of its most
talented emerging artists, whose work reflects the country’s rising influence as an
economic, political and cultural force in the global arena.In recent years, Chinese
artists, especially those
working in photography
and video, have gained
international recognition
for their powerful
works capturing the
social and aesthetic
confusion created in a
rapidly changing s
To the Chinese avant-
garde, materialism is all
pervasive, and the
dominant consumer
culture has altered
people's mentalities.
Interestingly, their work,
influenced by Western
ideals and art practice, remains distinctly Chinese in its content and aesthetic. society.
Produced within the dual context of globalization and urbanization, the work of artists
Cao Fei, Xu Zhen, Yang Yong, Wang Qingsong, Chen Qiulin, Birdhead, and Zhang O
examines the collision between the present and the future, and the confusion and
ambiguity that characterize the new China. Their work is often a stunned attempt to
deal with the dynamic and tectonic forces transforming China. The Rising Tide captures
this momentous time in China’s history while exploring the work of artists, who
comment with intelligence, wit, foreboding and nostalgia.