A heterogeneous view of contemporary Chinese art between individual
narrative and the constructions of history
Tales of Our Time presents works by seven artists based in mainland
China, Hong Kong or Taiwan: Sun Xun, Zhou Tao, Chi-En Jao, Kan Xuan, the
Yangjiang Group, Sun Yuan & Peng Yu and Tsang Kin-Wah. Working in video,
sculpture, installation, mixed media on paper and participatory
intervention, these artists poetically balance politics and aesthetics.
The exhibition and accompanying catalogue offer a heterogeneous view of
contemporary art from China and highlight tensions between individual
narratives and the constructions of mainstream history. A conceptual
extension of the exhibition, the catalogue functions as a hybrid of a
traditional exhibition publication and a fiction collection. Featuring
scholarly essays and artwork descriptions, it presents an unconventional
examination of the artists whose practices challenge current dialogues
about Chinese art. In seven commissioned short stories, Chinese and
American writers explore contemporary society through the art of
storytelling.