The emergence of Chinese contemporary art in the late twentieth century, coincided in 1976 with the death of Chairman Mao and the arrest of the “Gang of Four” an infamous political faction within the Chinese Communist Party. A new creative landscape based on an expanded freedom of expression, made way for radical ideas and trailblazing voices.

This exhibition presents the work of six artists: Ai Weiwei, Xu Bing, Zhang Huan, Shen Shaomin, Yang Fudong and Yang Zhichao, whose early years were shaped by monumental upheavals and whose work ultimately achieved great prominence on the world stage. They experienced Mao’s ill-fated campaign to transform China’s agricultural economy into a modern industrialised society (The Great Leap Forward 1958–1962); they lived through the excesses and purges of the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) emerging as artists during a period characterised by reform and innovation.

Today their work is considered pioneering and representative of a significant moment in Chinese modern history.

Dr Gene Sherman AM, together with her late husband Brian Sherman AM, played a similarly transformative role within the Australian contemporary landscape through their avant-garde cultural initiatives: Sherman Galleries (1986–2007), Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (SCAF, 2008–2017), and Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas (SCCI, 2018–2022). These initiatives - operating at the vanguard of contemporary art, design, fashion, and architecture - engaged with China and China Diaspora creatives, from the late 1980s, fostering a community of practitioners whilst serving as a cornerstone of a substantial collection.

Exhibition open 15 August 2026 - 15 August 2027

Location

China Gallery, Level 1
Chau Chak Wing Museum

Cost

Free