Bentu: Chinese artists in a time of turbulence and transformation

Bentu: The native soil. In contemporary Chinese art, this term does not connote nationalism. Rather, it represents a dialectical concept that aims to reconcile the “local” and the “global” in a universalist and critical rediscovery of identity. This notion is central to the research of artists, curators and academics in China today.

This exhibition brings together 12 artists of different generations who live on mainland China. Using a wide variety of techniques and media, drawn from both local tradition and culture, as well as newer cutting edge technologies – sometimes associating with or confronting these – the artists reveal the complexities of a society that is in permanent mutation. The works highlight the current state of economy and ecology, and most notably, the transformation of the relationship between the city and the countryside. Questions relating to identity are also addressed.

The choice of works does not seek to show a panorama of the artistic scene in China, but aims to draw attention to the multiform character of the production in the country, which undergoes rapid development and which affirms itself through outstanding individuals, rather than through specific movements.

This is the first exhibition devoted to contemporary Chinese art in France in the past 10 years. It is co- organised with the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art of Beijing (UCCA Beijing).