by Hou Hanru (Contribution by), Xiaoyu Weng (Contribution by)
A heterogeneous view of contemporary Chinese art between individual narrative and the constructions of history
Tales of Our Time presents works by seven artists based in mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan: Sun Xun, Zhou Tao, Chi-En Jao, Kan Xuan, the Yangjiang Group, Sun Yuan & Peng Yu and Tsang Kin-Wah. Working in video, sculpture, installation, mixed media on paper and participatory intervention, these artists poetically balance politics and aesthetics. The exhibition and accompanying catalogue offer a heterogeneous view of contemporary art from China and highlight tensions between individual narratives and the constructions of mainstream history. A conceptual extension of the exhibition, the catalogue functions as a hybrid of a traditional exhibition publication and a fiction collection. Featuring scholarly essays and artwork descriptions, it presents an unconventional examination of the artists whose practices challenge current dialogues about Chinese art. In seven commissioned short stories, Chinese and American writers explore contemporary society through the art of storytelling.