Simone Lee, art student at Jinan University

My themes of my paintings and sculpture are about
1.sexuality because it is the most natural thing that I think which comes after birth.
2. My culture which is coming from Miami Florida with a huge Chinese Jamaican family 50 or more cousins and 25 or so Uncles and Aunts. Many of which are close loves in my heart.
3. Also experimenting with different kinds of material that expresses 1 and 2.

I would definitely describe my work as contemporary.
Colonization has always been part of our history and art history.
I feel as though my work is part of this time of colonization in culture and places are completely different from when they where.
I believe this is a moment in history that is very distinct in mixing.

The older Chinese Artist makes their work about the changing of China. SO i would say that my work is the same in that aspect. But they see things coming from a different view.
They see new and old in China in things and culture.
A constant change of their traditional ways.

Seeing as I was not brought up in China my views come from the USA as what they call an ABC, American Born Chinese.
I’m an outsider where ever I go, but I’m also an Insider as well.
So my paintings are about that awkwardness and celebration of it as well.
Everyone having a place.
A mutant more like! So that being part of me changes my prospective on History.
For me is comparing two places or two cultures at once that I feel at the same time very connected too, part of, and proud.
Yes I put on music depending on what I feel for. But I usually like to listen to Bob Marley he keeps me calm but sometimes the music makes me too playful.
I prefer to paint at night... I’ve always been a night owl I could stay up the latest and always woke up the latest with sleepovers with my cousins.
I don’t paint only I make sculptures or performances.
Like to take pictures and images and then I put them together I ask myself what that means to me and what it means to society.

I like Oil paint because it’s great to push around.
I’ve been playing around with water color because the Chinese use it and I feel connected to the Zen quality of the water color.
But still prefer oil.
For my sculpture or performances I always end up using Fabrics. And costumes seem to interest me immensely.




Contemporary art in China is booming but many people from the rest of around the world believe that the work is still to traditional.
As China is rapidly growing into a more developed country and a love for art and culture.
I have no question in my mind that the Chinese
Contemporary art scene will get better and better.
Where there is money
there is art.
I don’t know if I quoted anything because I swear that stuff sounds similar so don’t quote me on those things. lol
Probably stuff from Andy Warhol.
And sorry about the lack of articulation.
It’s free formed and I’m sure I misspelled stuff.
A little embarrassing, but not enough to edit it.
I will send you some pictures of my work.

-Simone

Chinese Art History, Modern China & Contemporary Chinese Art

As China evolves, so does its art, sculpture, and architecture. Chinese art reflects the most significant achievement of the world’s oldest, living civilization. As a result of China’s long-standing traditions, it is no wonder why the younger generation of Chinese artists have a harder time breaking through the art world and gaining recognition for their work. Chinese art is a combination of traditions and innovations, of both native and foreign ideas, and of spiritual and worldly images. However, since the 1980s, when Contemporary Chinese art first emerged on the scene, art galleries in China have created an outlet for younger, modern artists to display their work.

History of Chinese Art

Chinese art history is classified into dynastic periods and the 20th Century. As in Egypt, the dynasty was the basic organizational unit of history. The art of China’s earliest dynastic periods, often called the Bronze Age, from the Shang to the Han dynasty, focused on the cult of the dead. The Shang Dynasty produced two types of bronzes: weapons and ceremonial vessels. Both are often covered with elaborate designs. Bronze vessels were used to contain the wine and food, which were offered up in ceremonies performed at the altar of the ancestral shrine. Another innovation of the Shang culture was stone sculpture made of carved jade. The bronze and jade pieces were used in underground burials to provide protection and comfort to the kings, and their officers, during the passage to afterlife. (1)

The Zhou Dynasty marked the introduction of worldly and abstract art. The dynasty began after they attacked the Shang kings in 1045 BC. At first, much of the Shang culture was retained. However, as the system of ancestor worship began to disintegrate, vessels once used in the temples became valuable trophies given by the king to powerful citizens. Vessels were cast to honor victories in war or the granting of land. As Zhou art evolved, bronzes became more secular and were often given as wedding gifts for household decoration. Late Zhou art displays the diversity and skill in techniques that characterize the rest of the history of Chinese art. Silk paintings, wood sculpture, lacquer work, and glazed ceramics also depicted the modern developments and styles. (2)

Painting, which had begun in the later period of Zhou art, thrived during the Han Dynasty. Tombs were still the primary focus for artists and architects, and the most popular themes of paintings were the afterlife and legends of ancient heroes. In these paintings the concept of perspective and distance is introduced. During the Han period the first landscape elements appear in paintings; at this early stage, however, they are restricted to small trees or mountains. (3)

The Shang and Zhou Dynasty, along with the dynasties that followed, make Chinese art what it is today. Landscapes, rocks and trees continue to be a theme in Chinese paintings as well as flowers, birds and bamboo, which were popular with royal family during the Song Dynasty. In 1911, many Chinese painters studied abroad, traveling to Japan and Europe. When they returned to China, they brought a number of Western innovations including bold colors, European brushwork, perspective and abstraction. In 1949, the formation of the People’s Republic of China introduced another important change in Chinese art and culture. Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, paintings began to illustrate politics and social reconstruction. As a result of China’s changing society, many traditional folk arts, never recognized during the dynastic periods, were elevated to a place of significance. (4)

Modern China and Contemporary Chinese Art

As China becomes more modernized, the paintings, architecture and sculptures continue to reflect the country’s social and economic progression. China’s economy is at a steady rise, due to exports and stock investments, and as a result, art is selling. In addition, the public’s interest in modern and contemporary is thriving and the art market remains strong.

Contemporary Chinese art is a more westernized style of art with Chinese roots. Art Scene China is a modern and contemporary art gallery that features more than 30 leading contemporary Chinese artists. Art Scene China has two venues in Shanghai, and one in Beijing, and has featured young painters, such as Zhou Weihua and Zhang Jie. Their works infuse Chinese art has reached Miami art galleries.

Chinese contemporary art has become transnational, being featured in Paris, New York and even Miami. The Yishu-Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art has been featured at Art Basel Miami Beach for the past two years, as well as the Chinese Art Invasion.

Chinese artists, such as Hung Liu and Wanxin Zhang have been exhibited at the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in North Miami. Their paintings and sculptures reflect Chinese culture and history. Some of Liu’s paintings are created with lacquer paint, which was often used during the later period of Zhou art, yet she still incorporates western, modern techniques.

Simone Lee, 22, is a Chinese-American art student studying at Jinan University in Guangdong, China. She, like many other young artists in China, is having a hard time breaking in on the contemporary art scene. Since many of the popular contemporary Chinese artists were born in the 50s and 60s, Lee feels feel as though it will be awhile before artists, like herself, will get noticed due to lack of experience.

“The younger artists haven’t experienced changing China,” Lee said.

However, as Chinese contemporary art continues to thrive and more and more younger artists become recognized and featured in galleries, young artists will become more widely excepted by older, traditional China.

Contemporary Art in China

The point of my story is:
To compare the expression of the young, Chinese contemporary artists to the older, traditional artists.
Where am I going with this story:
The expression of young Chinese contemporary artists is more Westernized and less traditional than the older artists, yet still reflects aspects of Chinese culture. The changes in Chinese government over the years have also influenced the content of Chinese contemporary paintings. I want to illustrate these issues in my story.
How I'm going to develop it:
Speak to art students in China. I've contacted a few art majors, through myspace, whom attend Jinan University in Guangzhou, China. I plan on contacting older, established Chinese artists who've experienced changing China.
Art in China