Chinese Contemporary Art:

Artists Working in China

While most westerners have some familiarity with traditional Chinese art, the isolationism and restrictive policies of the post war years have precluded a development of a contemporary art scene that would interest outsiders. This has all changed in recent years and there has been an astounding flowering of innovative, energetic and challenging contemporary art.

Filmmaker Lana Jokel, born in Shanghai and educated abroad, has a special interest in art as reflected in her documentaries on such artists as Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Larry Rivers. She now turns her camera on the visionary Chinese artists of today whose new freedom to express themselves is evident in the work they show us. Lana travels to artists studios, galleries and museums where this art is evolving and displayed, and the artists explain their techniques and philosophies. Art experts bring historical context to the new movement.

58 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $85.

Also available by Lana Jokel:
Chinese Contemporary Art Comes to America.
This companion film focuses on the ground-breaking Chinese art being exhibited in the US that has excited Western curators and collectors alike. Often ambitious in scale and experimental in nature, this work reflects the unprecedented changes in China's economic, social and cultural life over the past decade. Included are photography, video art and installations. Insightful comments from curators, historians collectors and the artists themselves give a historical perspective to the works.

55 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $85. Please note there is occasional nudity