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This interview was conducted in Kong Chang'an's studio in Los Angeles on 5 April 2011.


Biography:

Kong Chang’an (b.1953, Xi’an) is an artist, critic and curator.

In 1978-1982, he studied in the English department at the Xi'an International Studies University. During this period, he organized and participated in ‘Xi’an Modern Art Exhibition.’ In 1988, he graduated with a M.A. degree from the art history department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, with a thesis on Duchamp. After graduation, he worked at the Beijing International Art Company and the Art Gallery of Central Academy of Fine Arts. He was in the organizing committee of the ‘China/Avant-Garde Exhibition’ in 1989.

In 1991-1993, Kong got a scholarship and went to the University of Bologna in Italy, studying in the visual art department. In early 1992, using the penname ‘Chan, Lauk'ung’, he published the influential early article ’Ten Years of the Chinese Avant-garde: Waiting for the Curtain to Fall’ in Flash Art. In 1993, he was one of the curators of ‘Aperto’ at the Venice Biennial. In late 1990s he moved to USA. He currently lives and works in California.


簡歷︰

孔長安,1953年出生於西安。藝術家、評論家及策展人。

1978-1982年就讀於西安外語學院英語系。1981發起組織及參與《西安現代藝術展》。1985-1988年就讀於北京中央美術學院美術史系,獲碩士學位,畢業論文為《杜尚淺析》。畢業後到九十年代初曾任職於北京國際藝苑及中央美術學院畫廊。1989年《中國現代藝術展》組織人之一。

1991-1993年於意大利博洛尼亞大學視覺藝術系進修西方當代藝術史。1992年年初,以Chan, Lauk'ung為筆名,在《FLASH ART》雜誌發表「Ten Years of the Chinese Avant-garde: Waiting for the Curtain to Fall」一文,為最早在歐美主流藝術雜誌專題介紹中國前衛藝術的文章之一。1993年任威尼斯雙年展「開放展」的策展人之一。九十年代後期旅居美國加州,居當地至今,從事個人創作及廣告設計。

Context

In 2006, Asia Art Archive began a focused archiving project called 'Materials of the Future: Documenting Contemporary Chinese Art from 1980-1990'. This project aimed at developing a comprehensive collection of primary research materials including books, periodicals, newspapers, exhibition brochures, invitations, video recordings, correspondence, and other relevant documents. 

As part of this project, AAA digitised more than 80,000 items of material from personal archives to include artists Mao Xuhui, Wu Shanzhuan, Zhang Xiaogang, and Zhang Peili; curators and critics Fei Dawei, Lu Peng, and Zheng Shengtian; as well as the archives of Tokyo Art Gallery. As part of the research process over 75 in-depth interviews with key artists, curators, and critics were conducted. From a portion of these interviews, AAA created a documentary film about experimental art in South China (Guangzhou) in the 1980s entitled From Jean-Paul Sartre to Teresa Teng: Contemporary Cantonese Art in the 1980s.

AAA’s 1980s archiving project culminated with the launch of a comprehensive website portal called www.china1980s.org in September 2010.

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Interview with Kong Chang'an (Transcript, Simplified Chinese), 訪問:孔長安(抄本, 簡體中文)