How Chinese contemporary art presents/studies the margins of the society: cultural homogenization, socio-political and artistic borders in contemporary China
[eng] This thesis investigates how Chinese contemporary art presents and studies the margins of society through the perspective of ethnic minorities from the three northwestern provinces of China: Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang. The research is based on studies of 12 contemporary artists, prima...
| Autor: | |
|---|---|
| Formato: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universidad de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de la UB |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:ubarcelona__::ee4e0cbabc486fe9d57285fee25508c0 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/229536 https://hdl.handle.net/10803/697491 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Art contemporani Art xinès Minories Tibet (Xina) Mongòlia Interior (Xina : Zizhiqu) Xinjiang (Xina : Regió) Contemporary art Chinese art Minorities |
| Resumo: | [eng] This thesis investigates how Chinese contemporary art presents and studies the margins of society through the perspective of ethnic minorities from the three northwestern provinces of China: Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang. The research is based on studies of 12 contemporary artists, primarily from minority backgrounds, along with a critical analysis of their works. Furthermore, the study explores the phenomena of cultural homogenisation, as well as the socio-political and artistic boundaries reflected in these contexts. This research fills a gap in both domestic and international studies of contemporary art in the three provinces of Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang: within China, contemporary art research on these regions tends to be Han-centric, dominated by patriotic themes, while deliberately avoiding sensitive topics related to politics, culture, and ethnic minority identity. On the other hand, international research often focuses on political discussions and issues of independence, without deeply engaging with the historical and contextual links between mainland China and these regions. Moreover, there are few studies that approach the subject primarily from the perspective of ethnic minorities themselves. The methodology of this research combines historical and sociological analysis, art history, interviews with artists, and artistic analysis of their works from the three northwestern provinces of China. By employing contemporary art as a lens, this thesis offers a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted and complex issues surrounding ethnic minorities in northwestern China. This research not only provides an in-depth exploration of Inner Mongolia's "New Nomadic Wave," but also interprets the cultural identity self-definition of ethnic minorities in northwestern China, from the perspective of both Sinicized and non-Sinicized minority groups' self-exploration. Furthermore, it challenges the conventional definitions of "center" and "periphery" in the Chinese contemporary art world: the study finds that contemporary Tibetan art, supported by the international art mainstream, holds greater global influence than that of many other minority artists and even Han artists. At the same time, Han artists who express greater sympathy for minority issues often face limitations and marginalization due to censorship of their subject matter. Additionally, through firsthand interviews and analyses of restricted or hard-to-access works by artists, this study examines the ethnic identity of artists from the three northwestern provinces of China. It offers a nuanced perspective on the complex interplay of factors that shape the coexistence of the central and peripheral dynamics within Chinese contemporary art. |
|---|