‘RIDDLES OF RECOGNITION’: Hybridity in Chinese Modern Art, and the Geography of Taste
My dissertation uses primary research in the form of quantitative analysis of auction results to establish whether the location and culture of collectors is different for different genres of Chinese art practice created in different locations, and therefore whether there is evidence of home bias in collecting. It looks to build on work in this field by Vosilov (2015) and others. The research involved the compilation and analysis of a detailed database of Chinese artists practicing since 1912, their location of practice, the styles in which they worked, and the location of the market for their work over time. The dissertation also undertakes an exploration of relevant primary and secondary sources to explore how, when, and why Chinese art from 1912 absorbed and reacted to Western art, to build on theories of cultural hybridity developed by Papastergiadis (2005) and others. It explores the reasons why some Chinese artists may have left China to work overseas, as well as how and why they may have chosen to adopt Western art styles to create hybrid forms. Key findings are as follows. First, Chinese artists left China for one or more of three reasons: to find a market for their work; to be able to practice freely in terms of form; and to be able to practice freely in terms of content. Secondly, both at home and overseas, hybrid forms of Chinese art were created by absorbing Western styles in the search of a modernized Chinese cultural identity as well as both to support and to criticize the government. Lastly, there is a significant home bias in collecting, with Western-style artists selling more successfully to Western collectors and traditional ink artists selling more successfully at home.