Western contemporary art came to China with the opening and reforms of the 1980s. With a short history and totally different aesthetic value from the traditional Chinese ones, the Chinese do not easily accept the new arts. More and more contemporary arts from foreign countries are entering China to exert their influence on the Chinese people. Also the emergence of Chinese contemporary artists is impacting traditional Chinese art.

The Austrian New Abstract Paintings Exhibition, ongoing in the China Arts Gallery, displays 200 works created by six renowned Austrian artists. Although these artists enjoy high reputation in today's abstract painting circle in the world, they are relatively unknown to most Chinese. Not to mention that these works are somewhat hard to understand. Some are composed of intertwined lines like children's scrawling; some are piled with many layers of colors; and some are simply painted with big blocks of black and white. They not only cast a strong visual impact on the audience but also challenge their imagination.

The wife of the late Austrian abstract painter Max Weiler, came to the exhibition hall to explain the difference between the new and old abstract paintings for the audience.

"In Max's painting, there is always a subtitle to express the contents of the work, while for today's young artists, they don't want to express any content or tell any story. They simply paint it with lines and colors."

It is reported that this exhibition is the largest one for the contemporary arts held by Austria in Asia. Schweisgut, the Austrian Ambassador to China, says Austria impresses the Chinese people as a state of music. But this exhibition seems to subvert this conventional image in people's mind.

He hopes the Chinese audience can have a better understanding of the cultural spirit of Austrians through this exhibition.

In order to help the audience understand western abstract paintings, the China Arts Gallery held an academic seminar themed with "the abstract arts and the Chinese view". Moreover, it is preparing an art activity for children. After watching the video of Austrian artists' creation process, the "little artists" can start their own free creation. This will allow both children and adults to understand the artistic creation process of this unique form of art.

Ms. He Lin is in charge of the Public Education Department of the China Arts Gallery.

"This is a very good painting exhibition. But some people think they can't understand this art and are unwilling to come. That's why we will organize such an activity in the hope of giving the public an opportunity to experience the creation of this art. Not everyone can have such a chance to view the whole creation process of a painting. We believe after viewing this, they will know how to appreciate the abstract painting."

Another contemporary art exhibition in Beijing is also helping the audience understand the art. Titled "Transparent Box," the exhibition is displayed in the open field of SOHO, a renowned business community in the capital city.
Feng Biyi the curator of this unique open field exhibition:

"I've been thinking of doing an exhibition like this for a long time.  I hope the people living in the community feel that the art is around them. People who go to art galleries have a definite purpose and expectation. But here it is totally different.  The art will impact to one's traditional artistic value."

The exhibition is fun for the passersby. For example, when you enter a café, you would probably be surprised by five flyswatters hanging over your head. After a second look, you would find they were all works of art made of bronze.
At teahouse, the yellow flowers dotted on a piece of white cloth would impress you. Actually, if you take a closer look, they are not drawings of flowers, but an artwork created from cigarette smoke. Wang Yiqiong is the designer for this artwork.

"This artwork relates to the daily life of every person. It is quite different from the common exhibit on show, extending the artistic meaning of this work. I want to let people feel the relation between the people and the smoke. It is a kind of cruel beauty."

Another artist named Wang Qiang painted many square cartoons on the outside walls of the buildings along the street. He calls them "square tablets for the city" to cure the anxiety syndrome of people living in the metropolis. He believes the art is like medicine that can soothe the spiritual pain of the people.

And by the way, besides the above two exhibitions, the Croatian Contemporary Paintings Exhibition will be displayed at the China National Museum. If you want to have a panorama of the multi-cultures in Croatia, this will be a good opportunity.

(CRI.com July 7, 2005)