The rise of the Chinese economy, culture, and politics has made China a dominant power in the 21st century. Pursuant to this trend, Chinese contemporary art has taken a step abroad and won the attention of the international art community. The expansion of the market was made evident by Sotheby’s first Chinese contemporary art sale in New York in the spring of 2006, when it underscored the sustained value of Chinese art among global bidders. Chineseness will be the first program on Discovery Channel that will focus on Chinese contemporary artists after World War II. It will introduce four internationally recognized artists: Xu Bing and Zhang Huang from China, Li Chen and Yang Chihung from Taiwan. Accompanied with the aforementioned artists, the Discovery crew has filmed in locations across the world including Taiwan, China, New York, Paris, and more. The show will take the audience through a journey of their lives in creating their vision of artin order to comprehend the substantial “soft power” of Chinese contemporary art in today’s world. Chineseness will premiere in Taiwan in December, 2013.
In early September, Discovery Channel’s film crew traveled to Paris to shoot a segment about Li Chen’s outdoor sculpture exhibition at the Place Vendome. Li Chen’s monumental bronze sculptures are imbued with eastern charm and western simplicity. They possess a unique style that draws international acclaim and recognition. Li Chen has also been invited to participate in the Venice Biennale for several consecutive years.
Followed by Li Chen’s exhibition in France, the film crew headed to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, to document Xu Bing’s most recent solo exhibition “Travelling to the Wonderland.” Xu Bing is currently the vice president of Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts, and one of the most internationally acclaimed Chinese contemporary artists, known for his fabricated Chinese characters. Among his many laurels include the distinguished MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Award in 1999. In 2006, “Art in America” listed Xu Bing along with 10 other artists in their annual Year in Review. In 2011, Xu Bing hosted his solo exhibition at the British Museum displaying his Background Story 7 series.
Zhang Huan, an established Chinese contemporary artist recognized for his performance art, currently lives in New York. His work has been exhibited in the world’s most prestigious museums and international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale. Though somewhat controversial, Zhang Huan’s work is full of contemporaneity. His work has been inducted into the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Museum of Modern Art.
Yang Chihung, who was born in Taiwan and now lives in the United States, is one of the most important contemporary Chinese abstract expressionists. He was awarded the Asian Artist Award by the Governor of New York. For over 40 years, the artist has created relentlessly. He successfully incorporates eastern vibrant brush strokes with western grandiose landscapes. He remains an active figure in the international art scene as well as an inspirational mentor to distinguished contemporary artists today. Through Discovery Channel’s Chineseness, the audience will get to explore the life journey of these important artists and to comprehend their well-cultivated minds behind the scenes. The program aims to represent the mechanism behind Chinese art’s growing influence in a global context.
About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel, the flagship network of Discovery Communications, is devoted to creating the highest quality non-fiction programming in the world and remains one of the most dynamic networks on television. First launched in 1985, Discovery Channel now reaches more than 192 million subscribers in Asia-Pacific. Globally, Discovery Channel is one of the world’s most widely distributed television brands, reaching 432 million subscribers in 224 countries in 45 languages. It offers viewers an engaging line-up of high-quality non-fiction entertainment from blue-chip nature, science and technology, ancient and contemporary history, adventure, cultural and topical documentaries. For more information, visit www.discoverychannelasia.com.
