By way of introducing a comparative lens on the contemporary art ecosystems of China and Taiwan, this talk takes up a persistent question for cultural practitioners moving across geographies: how do we reflect on the foundations that structure our work across contexts—not only the gathering of data for comparison, but also the epistemological roots of the comparative imperative itself.

It approaches this question through the lens of artistic research in China, asking how such practices have not only shaped imaginaries of place but also normalized their own ways of knowing. From the 1930s—when artists were enlisted in nation-building projects to visualize China’s ethnoscape—through Maoist investigatory art in the 1950s, and into the Cold War “China-watcher” genre marked by Chris Marker’s 1956 visit, this trajectory extends into the reform era with visits by Warhol, Rauschenberg, and Abramović—before globalization begins to falter amid intensifying geopolitical decoupling in recent years.

Along the way, the talk will also point to key structural conditions that both enable and limit research in China, offering points of reference for one’s own future practice. Ultimately, it asks: what is the art of investigating China?

National Taipei University of Education MA in Critical and Curatorial Studies of Contemporary Art

Tel: +886-2-27321104 ext.52165

Web | ccsca.ntue.edu.tw

Email | ccsca@mail.ntue.edu.tw

地址 | 10671 臺北市大安區和平東路2段134號

National Taipei University of Education