Written, directed and produced by AAA, this documentary explores the impact of books, magazines and popular culture on the development of experimental art in Southern China in the 1980s.

The 1980s was a seminal period in the history of contemporary art in China. However, the contribution and experimentalism of the art scene in South China, in particular, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, have generally been overlooked. Due to the proximity of Hong Kong, western ideas from translated books and articles, as well as popular culture in the form of TV shows and Canto pop, flooded over the border to Guangdong at the end of the Cultural Revolution. This influx of new ideas and popular culture sparked great excitement, debate and experimentation in the arts.

Based on primary research, rare film footage and personal interviews with key artists, this documentary bears witness not only to the reading fever that gripped the Chinese art world in the 1980s, but also highlights the experimentalism and verve of artists and critics in South China whose contributions to the development of contemporary art have been long lasting and fundamental.

由亞洲藝術文獻庫編導，本片探討在八十年代時期，書籍、報刊、以至普及文化如何影響南中國實驗藝術的發展。

八十年代是中國當代藝術的啟蒙時代。今天，儘管有很多關於八十年代中國藝術的研究，有一部份的歷史是往往被忽略的，即八十年代在廣東、特別是廣州和深圳的實驗藝術。在文化大革命結束後、改革開放政策實行之初，由於廣東與香港接壤，外國文化資訊，包括翻譯書籍和文章，還有像電視和流行歌等流行文化產物，都通過香港大量湧進廣東。這些新思潮、新文化大大衝擊了廣東的藝術家，引發了很多新的創作、爭論和實驗。

《薩特與鄧麗君》一片中包括珍貴的原始文獻及與14位藝術家、評論人及策展人的訪談。影片不單描述了八十年代席捲中國的「讀書熱」，更說明了當時在廣東的特殊文化氛圍，呈現出在該時代開始萌芽的、始終極具實驗精神的廣東當代藝術。