Bentu, Chinese Artists at a Time of Turbulence and Transformation

Exhibition Dates: 2016.01.27 – 03.03

Exhibition Venue: Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris

Artists: Cao Fei, Hao Liang, Hu Xiangqian, Liu Chuang, Liu Shiyuan, Liu Wei, Liu Xiaodong, Qiu Zhijie, Tao Hui, Xu Qu, Xu Zhen, Yang Fudong

Bentu: Then native soil. In contemporary Chinese art, the term “bentu” does not connote nationalism. Rather, it represents a dialectical concept that aims to reconcile the “local” and the “global” in a universalist and critical rediscovery of identity. The notion of Bentu is central to the research of artists, critics and academics in China today.

The exhibition brings together twelve artists of different generation who live and work in mainland China. The artists establish links and contrasts between a wide variety of techniques and media, drawn from both local tradition and culture and cutting-edge technologies, to reveal the complexities of a society in a permanent state of change. The works reflect the new economy and ecology, and most notably the changing relationship between the city and the countryside. Questions of identity are also a recurring theme. The choice of works is not intended as an overview of China’s art scene, but instead seeks to highlight the transient nature and fleeting forms of Chinese art, which is changing rapidly and asserting itself through outstanding individuals rather than movements.

This is the first exhibition of Chinese contemporary art in France in ten years