C – Magnetic Cultures: Four Chinese Artists presents four varied explorations of being a Chinese artist in the United States, each straddling the personal and the societal. Living in a culturally rich but quite collective environment, many Chinese revolve like fluid molecules around a spiral vortex, connected to a central magnetism of inherited culture, social values, and family notions. These four young Chinese artists initially flowed and grew with this vortex, but upon coming to the U.S., they left the concerns and restrictions associated with this collective influence behind, only to later realize that, as molecules in a vortex, they could not pull away. They have since returned to the issues they once sought to escape. The separation from their past environment has allowed them to expand their thinking, while the cultural differences between China and the U.S. have given them new perspectives.
The exhibition aims to give audiences a better understanding of some of the issues facing young Chinese generations today by showing the different ways each of these artists investigate the world. Although exploring different art approaches, their works are connected under the same cultural content. The letter C is therefore a symbol and a set of acronyms for contemporary art, Chinese citizenry, courage and creativity, as well as the strong cultural magnetism from which the artists couldn’t pull away from.
-Minwen Wang, Exhibition Curator
