The Minjian Avant-Garde - by Chang Tan (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book studies how Chinese artists appropriated from and interacted with the broad public in the post-Mao era (1976-) and how such encounters helped them develop a unique avant-gardism. Artists like Huang Yong Ping and Ai Weiwei and art collectives like the Long March and the Yangdeng Co-op are discussed"--

Book Synopsis

The Minjian Avant-Garde studies how experimental artists in China mixed with, brought changes to, and let themselves be transformed by minjian, the volatile and diverse public of the post-Mao era. Departing from the usual emphasis on art institutions, global markets, or artists' communities, Chang Tan proposes a new analytical framework in the theories of socially engaged art that stresses the critical agency of participants, the affective functions of objects, and the versatility of the artists in diverse sociopolitical spheres.

Drawing from hitherto untapped archival materials and interviews with the artists, Tan challenges the views of Chinese artists as either dissidents or conformists to the regime and sees them as navigators and negotiators among diverse political discourses and interests. She questions the fetishization of marginalized communities among practitioners of progressive art and politics, arguing that the members of minjian are often more complex, defiant, and savvy than the elites would assume. The Minjian Avant-Garde critically assesses the rise of populism in both art and politics and show that minjian could constitute either a democratizing or a coercive force.

This book was published with generous support from the George Dewey and Mary J. Krumrine Endowment.

About the Author

Chang Tan is an Associate Professor of Art History and Asian Studies at Pennsylvania State University.