The Artistic Expression in Contemporary China

Song Dong is one of the leading contemporary artists in China. His conceptual pieces invite us into his personal experience of culture and family along with the country's rapid development, while resonating with us through a connection to collective history. Born in the winter of 1966 in Beijing, Song grew up and lived in a dazayuan, a large courtyard that is populated by a large family. The multigenerational environment fostered a pleasant engagement between Song and his family members. His love and affection for his family later became an essential component of art creations. Song graduated from Capital Normal University in Beijing studying oil painting, but abandoned his academic training due to the impact from the June Fourth movement and the introduction of new contemporary art forms to China. As the framed canvas came to feel limiting for his artistic creation, he discovered freedom in works ranging from performance to installation. He integrates the realities of everyday experience into art productions, with the idea that personal stories and ordinary objects could suggest the effects of social and political changes. Touching My Father uncovers the story of his father; Waste Not revives the memories of his mother; Wisdom of the Poor reveals his growing up environment. The works he has created frequently relate to the theme of his relationship with his family members and their experience of living in modern China. "I always want to make my family members the subject of my art. An artist who is concerned with life naturally wants to investigate into reality deeply; no reality is closer to me than my family," said Song Dong during an interview. His quotidian emotions, especially his love and transmission of that love, turned into powerful artworks that distinguished him from many contemporary Chinese artists who were also dealing with the rapid change that China underwent