survey_52 — art critics and theorists

1. Li Xianting — 栗宪庭 (Jilin, 1949)

Art critic and curator, a key figure of the Chinese avant-garde: editor of the journal 《美术》 and the newspaper 《中国美术报》, author of the terms “cynical realism” (玩世现实主义) and “political pop” (政治波普); director of the Songzhuang Art Museum (宋庄美术馆).

• Path — born in 1949 in Jilin Province; in 1974–1978 he studied in the Chinese painting department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (中央美术学院) as a worker-peasant-soldier; in 1978–1983 he was an editor of the journal 《美术》 (Meishu / Fine Art); in 1985–1989 he was co-founder and editor of the newspaper 《中国美术报》 (Fine Arts in China); after 1989 he worked as an independent critic and curator.
• Texts — in 1991 he published in the Hong Kong journal “Twenty-First Century” the article “The Sense of ‘Boredom’ in Contemporary Chinese Art” (《中国当代艺术中的“无聊”感》), which established the notions of “cynical realism” and “political pop”; he is the author of the collection 《重要的不是艺术》 (“What Matters Is Not Art”).
• Exhibitions — a participant in organising “The Stars” (星星美展, 1979) and the exhibition “Chinese Avant-Garde” (中国现代艺术展, National Art Museum of China, 1989, together with Gao Minglu); curator of “China’s New Art, Post-89” (Hong Kong, 1993, with Zhang Songren), “Mao Goes Pop” (Sydney, 1993) and the Chinese section of the Venice Biennale; curator of the Chinese pavilion at the 45th Venice Biennale (1995); founder of Li Xianting’s Film Fund.

2. Zhu Qi — 朱其 (Shanghai, 1966)

Art critic and independent curator, one of the first independent curators of Chinese contemporary art: he has worked with installation, conceptual photography and new media, and since 2012 mainly with contemporary ink (当代水墨); author of 《新艺术史和视觉叙事》.

• Path — born in 1966 in Shanghai; he completed postgraduate studies at the Chinese National Academy of Arts (中国艺术研究院) in “history of modern art”; he was executive editor-in-chief of the journal 《雕塑》 (Sculpture), took part in creating the portal 世纪在线中国艺术网 and worked as art director of the 798 district; he lives and works in Beijing.
• Texts — author of the books 《新艺术史和视觉叙事》 (Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, 2003) and 《1990年以来的中国先锋摄影》 (2004); in the 1990s and 2000s he built a critical vocabulary for installation, conceptual photography and new media, and wrote about the “post-70s” generation; since 2012 he has researched the modernisation of Chinese calligraphy and ink.
• Exhibitions — curator of 《以艺术的名义——中国当代艺术交流展》 (Liu Haisu Art Museum, Shanghai, 1996), 《转世时代——2000中国当代艺术展》 (Chengdu, 2000), 《青春残酷绘画》 (Beijing, 2002), 《70后艺术——市场改变中国之后的一代》 (Today Art Museum, Beijing, 2005), art director of the first 798 Beijing Biennale (2009); together with the Shanghai Mingyuan Art Museum — “Shanghai Contemporary Art: 30 Years” (2017–2018).

Sources: the:artist:network, profile of Zhu Qi (theartistnetwork.org/zhu-qi) · Tang Contemporary Art, exhibition archive — Li Jikai / curator Zhu Qi, 2008 (tangcontemporary.com/archive-exhibitions) · Artda, critics’ archive: 朱其 (artda.cn/pinglundangan-c-1121.html) · Artda, “朱其︱上海现代主义是艺术史的“孤城”现象” (artda.cn/wenxiandangan-c-10780.html)

3. Wang Lin — 王林 (Xi’an, 1949)

Art critic, curator and professor at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (四川美术学院): curator of the first Shanghai Biennale (1996) and of the first Chongqing Biennale of Young Artists (2009); author of about 300 critical articles.

• Path — born in 1949 in Xi’an and raised in Chongqing; in 1982 he graduated from the Chongqing Pedagogical Institute (department of Chinese literature), and in 1985–1986 he studied in the art history department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts; he is a professor at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, deputy chairman of its academic council and a doctoral supervisor at the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts.
• Texts — author of about 300 publications, among them 《反省当代艺术》, 《艺术在今天的使命》, 《精神批判在当代的意义》 and the essay 《奥利瓦不是中国艺术的救星》 (on the limits of a Western curator’s authority); he insists on the “problem consciousness” (问题意识) of art criticism.
• Exhibitions — organiser and curator of 《中国当代艺术研究文献资料展》 (issues 1–6, from 1991, Beijing, Shenyang, Nanjing, Chongqing, Wuhan, Guangzhou), of the first Shanghai Biennale (1996) and of the 《再看77、78》 art invitation exhibition; curator of the first Chongqing Biennale of Young Artists (2009) and of the first Chongqing International Biennale of Experimental Video (2018–2019); chief curator of “Voice of the Unseen: Chinese Independent Art Post-1979” — a parallel project of the 55th Venice Biennale (2013).

Sources: MoMA, “Chinese Curators” (pdf) — Modern Chinese Art Research Documents Exhibition, curator Wang Lin (moma.org/momaorg/shared/pdfs/docs/learn/intnlprograms/4.%20CCA_Web_Chinese%20Curators.pdf) · 十方藝術中心 Chongqing DAC, “十方顧問｜DAC Advisors” (chongqingdac.org) · Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, interview “做中国当代艺术的推动者——王林访谈” (scfai.edu.cn) · Art in the Heart of Summer, “Voice of the Unseen. Chinese art post-1979” — 55th Venice Biennale, 2013 (artintheheartofsummer.wordpress.com)

4. Huang Zhuan — 黄专 (1958–2016)

Art historian, critic and curator, professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (广州美术学院) and director of the OCT Contemporary Art Terminal (OCAT) in Shenzhen from 2005; one of the key curators of the generation after the “’85 Movement”.

• Path — born in 1958; in 1982 he graduated from the history faculty of Central China Normal University, and in 1988 he received a master’s degree in the history of Chinese art at the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts (the Wu Zuoren Prize for his master’s thesis); from 1985 to 1987 he was on the editorial board of the journal 《美术思潮》 (Art Trends); from 1994 to 1996 he edited the journal 《画廊》 (Hualang); from 1997 he was a researcher and curator at the He Xiangning Art Museum, and from 2005 director of OCAT; he died on 13 April 2016 in Guangzhou.
• Texts — the books 《当代艺术问题》 and 《文人画的图式、趣味与价值》 (both together with Yan Shanchun), 《艺术世界中的思想与行动》 (1991) and 《政治与神学：中国当代艺术中的王广义》 (2014); an article in the APT3 catalogue on the shift from the idealism of the 1980s to the cynicism of the early 1990s.
• Exhibitions — co-organiser of the “First Canton Biennale of the 1990s” (painting section, Guangzhou, 1992); curator of 《首届当代艺术学术邀请展》 (Beijing/Hong Kong, 1996), of the Chinese section of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Triennial “Beyond the Future” (Brisbane, 1999), of 《重新解读：首届广州三年展》 (with Wu Hung and Feng Boyi, 2002), 《图像就是力量：王广义/张晓刚/方力钧的艺术展》 (2002), 《国家遗产：一项关于视觉政治史的研究》 (2009), 《水墨炼金术：谷文达实验水墨展》 (2010) and of the Wang Guangyi retrospective 《自在之物》 (2012).

Sources: QAGOMA (Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art), “Vale: Huang Zhuan” (qagoma.qld.gov.au/stories/vale-huang-zhuan/) · Asia Art Archive, “Interview: Huang Zhuan (English subtitles)”, Hans van Dijk Archive (aaa.org.hk/en/collections/search/archive/hans-van-dijk-archive/object/interview-huang-zhuan-english-subtitles) · Asia Art Archive, “OCAT is the Synonymy of Independent Art in China” — Huang Zhuan, publisher (aaa.org.hk/en/collections/search/library/ocat-is-the-synonymy-of-independent-art-in-china)

5. Yin Jinan — 尹吉男 (Dandong, Liaoning, 1958)

Art historian, critic and specialist in the attribution of Chinese painting and calligraphy: professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (中央美术学院) and former dean of its School of Humanities; a columnist for the journal 《读书》; author of the collections 《独自叩门》 and 《后娘主义》.

• Path — born in 1958 in Dandong (Liaoning province, of Korean ethnicity); in 1982 he graduated from the history faculty of Peking University in “archaeology”; from 1984 to 1987 he studied in the postgraduate programme of the art history department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, specialising in the attribution of ancient Chinese painting; since 1999 a professor at CAFA, from 2002 he headed the art history department and later became dean of the School of Humanities; subsequently dean of the Institute of Image and History of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.
• Texts — the collections 《独自叩门——近观中国当代主流艺术》 (Sanlian Publishing House, 1993) and 《后娘主义——近观中国当代文化与美术》 (2002); since 1996 a columnist for the journal 《读书》 (Dushu); editor-in-chief of the book series “Open Art History” (开放的艺术史); the first chief expert of the state textbook 《中国美术史》.
• Projects — from 1988 he published articles on Xu Bing and Lü Shengzhong, and from 1990 on the “New Generation” (新生代); in 1991 he took part in organising 《新生代艺术展》 (Museum of Chinese History); from 1997 to 1999 he led the research seminar “The Creation and Criticism of Contemporary Chinese Art” at CAFA; in 1996 he was chief planner of the television programmes 《美术星空》 and 《探索·发现》.

Sources: CAFA Art Info, profile of Yin Jinan / 尹吉男 — official website of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (cafa.com.cn) and i.cafa.edu.cn/sub_artist/fn/aintro/?ai=110263 · CAFA, “Yin Jinan” (en) — art historian profile (cafa.com.cn/en/figures/historians/details/8110464) · The Paper / Shanghai Book Review, “尹吉男谈图像史及其知识来源” (thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_19644296)

6. Shen Yubing — 沈语冰 (Yuhang, Zhejiang, 1965)

Art theorist and translator: professor at Zhejiang University, later a distinguished (特聘) professor at Fudan University; author of 《20世纪艺术批评》 and a systematic translator of Anglo-American art theory (Fry, Greenberg, Fried, Krauss, T. J. Clark).

• Path — born in 1965 in Yuhang (Zhejiang province); he began with law (the history of law and legal thought), then turned to art theory; from 2001 to 2002 he was a visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge; professor at Zhejiang University and director of its Institute of Aesthetics and Critical Theory; subsequently a distinguished (特聘) professor at Fudan University and a doctoral supervisor in the philosophy faculty, and founder of the art philosophy programme at Fudan.
• Texts — the monograph 《20世纪艺术批评》 (China Academy of Art Press, 2003; repeatedly reprinted and honoured with an award of the Ministry of Education of the PRC) and the book 《图像与意义：英美现代艺术史论》 (Commercial Press / 商务印书馆, 2017); editor-in-chief of the series “Phoenix Library: Art Theory Studies” (凤凰文库·艺术理论研究系列).
• Translations — 《塞尚及其画风的发展》 (Roger Fry), 《艺术与文化》 (Clement Greenberg), 《弗莱艺术批评文选》, 《艺术与物性》 (Michael Fried), 《现代生活的画像：马奈及其追随者艺术中的巴黎》 (T. J. Clark), 《杜尚之后的康德》 (Thierry de Duve), 《知觉的悬置》 (Jonathan Crary); leader of a major National Social Science Fund project to translate Western theories of modern art; winner of the art theory prize of the Second Forum of Contemporary Artistic Thought (2013).

Sources: The Paper / Shanghai Book Review, “沈语冰谈二十世纪英美艺术史论” (thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2154588) · Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, Shen Yubing & Zheng Tao (tsla.researchcommons.org) · Sina Finance, “著名艺术评论家沈语冰：没有理论的身影…” (finance.sina.cn, 15.06.2025) · LinkedIn, profile “沈语冰 / Shen Yubing — Professor, Zhejiang University” (linkedin.com/in/语冰-沈-ba596028)

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