This catalogue was published on the occasion of the exhibition 'New Urbanism: Chinese Contemporary Art' which opened at the Guangdong Museum of Art in 2002.
China has been undergoing rapid transformations in the past two decades. Cities, especially those along the country's east coast, are quicking becoming urban centres, a phenomenon which can be viewed as symbols of economic prosperity, modernisation and internationalisation. At the same time, people who live in these urban centres are experiencing dramatic changes in psychological awareness, social norms, lifestyles and aesthetics.
The curator of the exhibition, Zhang Zhaohui, has given a term 'New Urbanism' to describe this urban culture. According to Zhao, Young artists who grew up alongside the economic reforms and urbanisation are active practitioners of 'New Urbanism'. The exhibition and the present catalogue, therefore, take 'New Urbanism' as its theme, and showcase the concerns and thoughts of young artists about urbanisation. The other attempt is to study the visual languages these young artists have used in their work to find out whether these may represent the direction of future development for a new and progressive visual culture.
A virtual exhibition of the same title was launched on the website 'www.chinese-art.com' in the summer of 2001, showcasing over fifty works by young Chinese artists. Two accompanying articles, written by Zhang Zhaohui and Li Dao are reprinted here.
Artist statements are included. With preface by the Guangdong Museum of Art and Zhang Zhaohui.