Good Example Of Essay On Exhibition: American Consumer Culture In Chinese Art

In Chinese art, how is American popular consumer culture represented? The motivation of this research question was inspired by a friend who told me that General Tso Chicken is not a Chinese cuisine. It was invented by Chinese Americans to cater to North American tastes. It is not authentic. This anecdote led me to wonder how Chinese artists represent consumer culture in their works, and especially how it may both reflect on China in both erroneous and authentic ways.
The most representative of the art and artists that will be part of the exhibition is Ai Weiwei (1957 - ). He is a contemporary Chinese-born artist with international popularity. In his work, “Neolithic Vase with Coca-Cola Logo 2010” he does something shocking. He takes a Neolithic vase that is about seven thousand years old and paints the Coca-Cola logo on it. The work suggests two things. First, it is irreverent. But so is consumer culture. Second, it says that even artifacts from history are not sacred to consumerism. If Coca-Cola could stamp their logo on ancient Chinese artifacts — they would. His work can be paired with the most subtle photographs of Liu Bolin, who represents consumerism in the style of the vacation postcard. Except in these photographs, the figure is camouflaged, evocative of the notion of China incorporated into a culture but not identified.
Finally, two painters from Beijing round out the exhibition. Lai Shengyu and Yang Xiaogang are the two artists who go by the name “Ta Men”. “Ta Men” means “They” in Mandarin. Ta Men’s paintings evoke the original anecdote of authenticity and food in the North American imagination. For example, in one painting diners sit in a cafeteria eating food while serpents come out of their mouths. Their work is unique in that the paintings are a collaborative effort, using both the Chinese landscape as inspiration, and the cafeteria as a stage to represent the relationship between consumerism and over-indulgence.

Works Cited

Bolin, Liu. Liu Bolin Art Studio. Retrieved online from <http://www.liubolinart.com/>. Internet
Resource.
Ai Weiwei (Chinese, born 1957) Neolithic Vase with Coca-Cola Logo 2010 Paint on Neolithic
vase (5000–3000 BC) 9 3/4 x 9 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. (24.8 x 24.8 x 24.8 cm) Mary Boone,
New York.
Tamen. Canvas International Art. Retrieved online from
<http://www.canvas-art.nl/english/gallery/artists/Tamen__/pid/266/>. Internet
Resource.