This interview was conducted in Shanghai on 9 June 2011.


Biography:

Zhao Chuan (b. 1967, Shanghai) is a writer and art critic who is also actively involved in the theatre scene.

After graduating from the Affiliated Art High School of Shanghai University School of Fine Art in 1987, Zhao Chuan continued his studies in Australia. Zhao began writing professionally since 2000. His novella Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies won the Unitas Fiction Newcomer Award in 2001. In the following year, he was invited by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taipei City Government and Asialink of Australia, to partake in the Asialink Writing Residency Program in Taipei. Together with Tong Ren, Zhao founded the theatre troupe ‘Grass Stage’ in Shanghai in 2005, with a mission to promote new forms of social theater movement, to organize non-profit theater performances, and to encourage both national and international exchange activities.

Zhao has published numerous novels and essays. His main focus in recent years has been the development of contemporary art in Shanghai since the late 70s. Published works include Shanghai Abstract Story.


簡歷︰

趙川,1967年出生於上海。作家、戲劇工作者以及藝術批評家。

1987年畢業於上海大學美術學院附中,1988年赴澳大利亞留學。於2000年開始專事寫作,中篇小說《鴛鴦蝴蝶》獲2001年台灣《聯合文學》小說新人獎。 2002年獲台北市政府文化局邀請及澳洲Asialink委派,任台北駐市作家。 2005年,趙川與同仁於在上海創立「草台班」,致力推動新形式的社會劇場運動,策劃非營利的戲劇演出及國內國際互動。

他已出版小說和隨筆集等多種,近年常撰寫關於早期上海當代藝術之文章,已出版有《上海抽象故事》等。

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.

Alternative title

Fang Wen: Zhao Chuan

Access level

Online

Spoken language

Mandarin

Content type

event photograph/recording, 

interview documentation

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Interview: Zhao Chuan (Chinese subtitles), 訪問:趙川