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22 March 2014
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Yishu -- Contemporary Chinese Art

ACI has recently discovered "Yishu", a splendid journal of contemporary Chinese art. For those of you who don't know it, please keep reading!

ACI has recently discovered "Yishu", a splendid journal of contemporary Chinese art. For those of you who don't know it, please keep reading!

Yishu is the first English language journal to focus on Chinese contemporary art and culture.

Each bi-monthly issue features scholarly essays on topical issues, interviews with artists and curators, conference proceedings, and critical commentary on exhibitions and books.

For example, the most recent edition includes a captivating conversation with Ai Weiwei, which took place in his studio in Caochangdi, Beijing.

To whet your appetite for the delicious encounter, read this:

"My experience in the US was the most important experience of my life. There I learned about personal freedom, independence, and the relationship between the individual and the state, as well as the power structure of that society -- and art, of course. I learned a lot.

...

I hate any power or system that deprives people of their most basic natural rights and their happiness. I am an artist. Some people also call me an activist. In fact, I am interested in understanding the rights of human expression and the possible ways of expression. I think that the right to express onself is the essence of life."

Yishu is published in Taipei, Taiwan, and somewhat curiously, it is edited in Vancouver, Canada. Curiously, I say, because despite the burgeoning Asianization of Canada, and especially Vancouver, the Asian art scene in Canada has only been developing slowly.

For example, although Asians now account for perhaps 12 per cent of the Canadian population, there is no Asian art museum in Canada, and very few private Asian galleries. This is in sharp contrast with the US which has numerous public Asian art museums.

Things are, however, beginning to change in Canada. This year, 2013, saw two major Ai Weiwei exhibitions in Toronto -- "Ai Weiwei: according to what?" at the Art Gallery of Ontario; and a monumental sculpture series of animals/zodiac heads outside of Toronto's City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square.

Looking ahead to 2014, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the Vancouver Art Gallery will host the exhibition "The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors". The massive show is estimated to include up to 200 treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing, some of which have never been seen outside of China.

With the Chinese art scene now taking off in Canada, we can expect future issues of Yishu to provide us with important insights to foster our understanding of this powerful and yet mysterious field of art.

For the moment, do yourself a favor and click on the Yishu website below. If you wish, you can purchase just the article that interests you. But you may be interested in very many articles, as the catalogue goes back to 2002!

Author

John West
Executive Director
Asian Century Institute
www.asiancenturyinstitute.com
Tags: china, Yishu, contemporary Chinese art, Ai Weiwei, Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Vancouver Art Gallery

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