The decade from 1979 to 1989 was a phenomenal era for both contemporary Chinese art and Chinese society. After the Cultural Revolution and before the post-Tiananmen conservative crackdown, this was the era when Chinese society experienced its first significant degree of liberation since 1949. Despite this vibrant development of contemporary Chinese art, published writings about “avant-garde” art groups active within China during that era have been extremely limited in scope. Paul Gladston's book fills gaps in our knowledge of the contemporary Chinese art scene and provides an inspiring and mind-opening narrative.
This book offers a critical account of four of the most significant “avant-garde” art groups active in China between 1979 and 1989: the Stars (Xingxing), the Northern Art Group (Beifang yishu qunti), the Pond Association (Chi she) and Xiamen Dada. These groups played a unique role in the development of contemporary Chinese art as they provided a collective as well as a protective platform for artistic practices. The book is made up largely of in-depth conversations conducted by the author with members of these groups that provide close personalized insights into the conditions of artistic production and reception during the early years of post-Maoist opening and reform. The conversations are supported by an extended introductory essay about the development of “avant-garde” art in China since the early 20th century that helps the reader contextualize the conversations with the artists.
The major finding in the book is that “avant-garde” art in China between 1979 and 1989 “occupied a highly indeterminate position in relation to the prevailing sociopolitical/economic mainstream; one in which it can be seen to have shuttled continually … between resistance to and complicity with established authority” (p. 32). The book demonstrates that the “avant-garde” Chinese artists in that era developed intricate relations with both traditional Chinese cultural thought and practice and Western attitudes and techniques. Many artists were actively involved in revisiting and reworking aspects of both trends, “in seeking to rebuild a relatively autonomous aesthetic sphere after the ravages of the Maoist period” (p. 30). The various texts presented in the book also capture the diversity among the art groups – from their members' family backgrounds and art training experiences to the groups' organizational structures and immediate geographical, social and cultural surroundings – all of which subtly shaped their artistic expression and activities.
What I find particularly fascinating are the relations between art and politics revealed through conversations with artists. While Chinese “avant-garde” art has often been interpreted in Western contexts as an expression of political dissidence on the part of its makers, Gladston shows that the relationship between artists and authorities in the late 1970s and 1980s were far more sophisticated. On the one hand, some artists and art groups had no intention of engaging with political ideology. Their drive was to do simply as they pleased without the burden of the constant engagement with ideology that had dominated the Maoist period. On the other hand, not all artists involved in the production of “avant-garde” art during that era were in direct opposition to governmental authority. Some of their actions should be considered as a calculated bid for acceptance by the state within an emerging context of reform, rather than a collective attempt to transgress established ideological limits (p. 22).
The core data presented in the book are edited transcripts of conversations with selected members of the four art groups, conducted in China between 2006 and 2010. Interviewing artists is an effective approach to elucidate the significance of artworks and achieve a personalize account of art-making. However, as Gladston notes in the book, such method also presents challenges. For instance, interviewees maybe not be able to recall past events accurately, or their accounts may be subject to the effects of “reconstructive memory” (i.e. conscious or unconscious attempts to reframe the significance of past events) (p. 4). To lessen the effect of these potential distorting factors, Gladston carefully cross-references artists' accounts with information gleaned from other sources. Furthermore, he often asked interviewees to respond to follow-up questions in order to clarify initially vague responses and to resolve/explain discrepancies between their accounts and those contained in existing documentary sources. Overall, Gladston's effort to tackle the methodological challenges is effective and the analysis is coherent and convincing.
While it is possible to interpret “avant-garde” art in China between 1979 and 1989 as a manifestation of China's post-Maoist modernity, the book presents a more nuanced picture of contemporary Chinese art that challenges many simplistic notions of this form of art and its relations to the social, political and cultural contexts. The contributions of Gladston's book cross art history, China studies, sociology and political science. It will be a welcome addition to course reading list for both undergraduates and graduates. The wealth of fresh information and original ideas offered in this book will help readers achieve a deeper understanding of not only contemporary Chinese art but Chinese society in the post-Maoist era.
