Center of art

The center of China's contemporary art scene is Beijing's art district, locally known simply as 798.

Dealers have set up offices and studios in the former industrial site to be close to the many artists who have made Beijing their home.

But contemporary art sales are far from limited to Beijing: many Western art galleries, too, have started collecting pieces.

The prominence of Chinese contemporary art was raised considerably in December 2012 with the presentation of Chinese Design Today at the Themes and Variations gallery in London's Notting Hill.

At the time, contemporary Chinese design was still considered by many as a new arrival on the Western art and design market.

Organizers said the Today exhibition was commissioned to offer a unique insight into the forms, reinterpretations and narratives that have emerged in recent years in the fields of furniture, textiles and ceramics.

Eleven artists, including Shao Fan, a leading figure in the movement, exhibited their works, and the appetite for contemporary Chinese art has been in ascendancy ever since.

(China Daily European Weekly 10/17/2014 page19)