Presentation Schedule
The Body in Transition: Depictions of the Body in Chinese Avant-Garde Art from the 1980s and 1990s (104207)
Session Chair: Carolyn Fitzgerald
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Wednesday, 13 May 2026 13:20
Session: Session 2
Room: Live-Stream Room 2
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
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Analyzing avant-garde art from the first two decades of the post-Mao era by artists such as Wang Jianwei, Wang Jinsong, Feng Mengbo, Gu Dexin, Ai Weiwei, and Lin Xinhua, this paper focuses on changing depictions of the body. Whereas in socialist realist works from the Mao era, muscular and powerful looking human figures were used to symbolize the strength and courage of the revolutionary masses, in post-Mao art, fragmented, disembodied, and disfigured images of the human form dominated the art scene. Often, faceless or ghostlike portrayals point to themes of dehumanization and alienation. In other works, dismembered body parts are objectified and analyzed by artists in a scientific manner as part of an attempt to make sense out of and come to terms with contemporary life. Also, reduplicated and mass-produced body parts are frequently depicted and reflect commodification in contemporary society. In spite of differences between artists, and although their creations may appear plastic, unreal, and dismembered, they nonetheless share a common desire to more realistically reflect society during the post-Mao years. Whether by recreating the synthetic, digital nature of society or emphasizing a return to and an awareness of the body, they all attempt to escape the hollow platitudes of propaganda work.
Authors:
Carolyn FitzGerald, Auburn University, United States
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Carolyn FitzGerald is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at Auburn University in United States
See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule
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