GLOBALISATION OF CHINESE ART: IMAGE, FORM, SYMBOLISM AND FIGURATIVE PAINTING AS A GLOBAL COMMODITY

Abstract

Chinese contemporary art remains an understudied subject, especially in the context of the global art market, and its role in promoting the economic and cultural sustenance of the national memory it aims to promote. Between 1989 and 2005, Chinese contemporary figurative painting underwent a major transformation, shaped by the China/Avant-Garde exhibition, the rise of Political Pop and Cynical Realism, and the increasing role of global markets and biennales. These works existed in tension as both cultural memory objects and globally tradable commodities, raising questions about how visual strategies mediated between local specificity and international legibility. The study investigates how image composition, form, and symbolism in the works of Zhang Xiaogang, Fang Lijun, Yue Minjun, Wang Guangyi, and Zeng Fanzhi translated Chinese cultural memory into globally accessible visual codes and, in turn, enabled commodification. The paper conducted qualitative research through the comparative case study approach by combining visual semiotic analysis with archival research, literature review, and art market data. The analysis involved developing coding categories such as identity and memory, alienation or cynicism, parody and translation, consumerism and propaganda, and commodification/masking. The findings reveal that artists deployed reduction, repetition, intertextual reference, and iconic motifs to render the Chinese experience legible to international audiences. These strategies also created recognisable market ‘signatures’ that increased auction and exhibition value. The dual legacy of this period is ambivalent: artworks preserved cultural memory while simultaneously being assimilated into the circuits of global capitalism. Accordingly, the paper also presents recommendations for adopting NVivo-based research methods to increase the generalisability of the observations.