Being announced in January and first presented last September in Shanghai Bund 18, The 2008 Chinese Contemporary Art Awards exhibition now opens at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. The exhibition features important and recent works by the 2008 CCAA awarded artists: Liu Wei, Tseng Yu-Chin, and Ai Weiwei.

The Chinese Contemporary Art Awards were founded by Uli Sigg in 1997 as a nonprofit entity to enhance the position of Chinese contemporary art both domestically and internationally. With the growth of the art market in the ensuing decade, the purpose of the awards has shifted to emphasize a critical position on the conversation over what constitutes meaningful art in current Chinese production. In the words of Uli Sigg, “The market is today the dominant force to validate artworks. To balance and enrich this debate, an institution such as the CCAA plays an important role.” The awards offer a platform for artists to become recognized on the world stage and allow foreign curators to identify some of the most interesting art in greater China.

“We are really proud to present CCAA at UCCA. In showing the 2008 awarded artists, UCCA is committed to the future of Chinese art and recognizes its value beyond market forces”, said Jerome Sans, UCCA director.

Liu Wei, Ai Weiwei, Tseng Yu-Chin were selected by a jury committee consisting of Hou Hanru, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs and Chair of Exhibitions and Museum Studies at the San Francisco Art Institute; Ken Lum, Canadian artist of Chinese heritage who has received a Guggenheim fellowship, enjoyed a career in education, and been invited to many major exhibition; Gu Zhenqing, curator and critic in charge of the recently opened gallery Li Space; Chris Dercon, director of the Haus der Kunst in Munich; Ruth Noack, curator of Documenta 12; Huang Du, independent curator and critic who curated the sixth Shanghai Biennale; and Uli Sigg, founder of CCAA. These esteemed critics, artists, and curators took as their criteria the display of original and unique talent in artistic creation. This academic criteria should help stimulate debate over the concept of artistic value in the currently booming art market. The exhibition of the winning artists works will be accompanied by a publication written by Pauline Yao, who received the newly-established Chinese Contemporary Art Award for independent art criticism in 2008.

“These exhibitions and this book will shed more light on the winning artists Liu Wei, Tseng Yu-Chin, and Ai Weiwei. They were selected in a very intense jury meeting and they deserve all the attention the CCAA book and exhibitions can create!”

-Uli Sigg

Chinese Contemporary Art Awards 2008 Exhibition:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Ai Weiwei, born 1957 Beijing, based in Beijing

Best Artist: Liu Wei, born 1972 Beijing, based in Beijing

Best Young Artist: Tseng Yu-Chin, born 1978 Taibei, based in Taibei

Organized by

Chinese Contemporary Art Awards

UCCA

Sponsored by

UBS