Contemporary art practice in China began in the late 1970s. At a time when art institutions and networks were largely underdeveloped, the contemporary art movement was nurtured by a few individuals dedicated to experimentation and avant-garde aesthetic practice.

These artists revolutionized the local art scene into one more open and internationally oriented, operating in opposition to many of the standards and norms of the early 1980s. They experimented with and ultimately moved beyond both traditional and Modernist styles, including Surrealism, Tachisme, Abstract Expressionism, and Action Painting. Yet despite its importance, the mediums, forms, and styles of this period remain insufficiently scrutinized.

UCCA invites artists Ma Kelu, Zhao Gang, Zhang Wei, and curator Waling Boers to discuss the early days of Chinese contemporary art, from the late 1970s up to 1985.

*Doors close 30 minutes after event begins.

*Tickets are limited. No late entry.

*Collect your ticket from the ticket desk 30 minutes before the event begins.

Ma Kelu was a member of the influential early Chinese contemporary painters’ association No Name Group. He began working in abstraction in 1982, incorporating elements of absolute rationality into his practice.

Zhao Gang was born in 1961 in Beijing. He started his formal art education in 1973, working closely with painters, writers, and poets in the capital. He was invited by Ma Desheng to participate in the first “Stars Group Exhibition” in 1979 as well as the group’s second show at the National Art Museum of China the following year. Today he splits his time between Beijing and New York.

Zhang Wei was one of the first abstract painters in contemporary China. He was a member of the No Name Group, a young painters’ association. Beginning as a realist in the modernist tradition, Zhang later pursued a visually purer artistic practice by embracing abstraction.

Waling Boers is an independent curator. He is the founder of Boers-Li Gallery as well as the founder and director of BüroFriedrich.