Drawing from a deep well of worldly cultural experiences
Modern Chinese art is white hot and the thriving domestic art market has caught the world's attention over the past decade. However Chinese art practitioners still need to draw more experiences from their alien contemporaries, according to Fan Di'an, dean of the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC).
The curator was talking to members of the visiting US President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Delegation, after they toured the museum on Sunday. In his speech on the cultural identity of China's contemporary art, Fan briefly introduced the ecological system of China's modern art.
He said that along with the extensive construction of large-scale museums across the country, forces of private art galleries, expos and auctions have also contributed in China's art consumption.
Although he emphasized the pivotal position of public museums in satisfying the dynamic needs of the general population, in which term, he said, the United States sets a good example for China. He cited the great efforts made by the art museum to cultivate museum culture among the Chinese public.
"Our exhibitions feature a wide range from traditional, folk cultural to contemporary art. Such a multi-dimensional exhibition system will help the people form a habit of regular visits to museums," he said.
But he also pointed out that Chinese museums are suffering from a lack of art professionals, particularly expertise on the art exposition and management. He suggested further cooperation on the cultivation of art management talents between China and the United States in the future.
Fan also shared his views on how to look on Chinese contemporary art from the perspective of globalization.
He said that a lot of Westerners still know little about Chinese contemporary art.
People can't find introductions of Chinese art development in the 20th century in many books on the world art history, he said. And that is why it is so important that the National Art Museum of China will bring five or six grand exhibitions abroad to promote not only China's traditional legacy but also the best of the Chinese contemporary art of the 20th century.
(China Daily 06/13/2007 page18)
