An Account of the Development of Video Art in China, 1985-2020

Abstract

As a branch of Chinese contemporary art, the birth and development of Chinese video art are closely related to the Chinese modernist art movement in the 1980s. Although many scholars have conducted in-depth research on Chinese video art, few works can comprehensively and systematically sort out its entire development and the reasons behind it. This account critically analyses the political, economic, and cultural contexts and spatial and temporal duality of video art in China and the United States, revealing the different trajectories of development and the differences in artists’ practices between the two countries. Chronologically structured around the effect of the Cultural Revolution on the Chinese art scene, the resistance and exploration of young artists during the 85 New Wave movement, the deepening of the Reform and Opening-up policy implemented by Deng Xiaoping after his Southern Tour, the reform of the art education system, and the trend of globalisation, these important historical events and policies have collectively shaped the trajectory of the evolution of video art in China, with the aim of explaining how the artists’ practice has gradually shifted from personalised and objective documentation and artistic experience to a deeper and more in-depth understanding of real life. In this process, Chinese video art has played an essential critical role, reflecting on and critiquing reality through its works and forming a practice closely related to China’s modernisation process. At the same time, Chinese video artists have also constructed their own video art language and aesthetic style through continuous exploration and innovation. Through the analysis in this thesis, we can understand its evolution and development trend more profoundly and provide new ideas and directions for future research in video art.