Photography from the New China

I wasn't sure what to expect form the "New China" photography exhibit at the Getty on Tuesday, but the showcase ended up being very intriguing. My favorite of the the selected photographers was Wang Qingsong because of both his dynamic re-purposing of a traditional Chinese art form and his statements as an artist. The picture below stood out to me as representative of Qingsong's over-arching ideas of chaos and culture clash that come from China's struggles in the face of rapid globalization and the materialistic branding it has adopted from modern Western civilization.

 

Overall the exhibit was informative and exciting. Certain artists like Rong Rong were showcasing work that documented the Beijing East Village, an art collective that struck me as extremely independent and self-sufficient given its restrictive environment. I can admit (unfortunately) that I am one of many Westerners who have little to no intellectual investment in the Eastern art world, but after seeing these photographers I have been inspired to look to the cultural and artistic movements of Asian countries to find new ideas. The radical differences in how the Far East operates culturally influences the modes of creative production amongst the artists over there, and I know I could benefit by studying them.