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Arts & Communication Sound and cross-cultural art in China since 1980s

Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing); among these artists were
early sound performance pioneers such as Wang Wei, Qiu
Zhijie, and Zhang Hui.
These interchanges fostered the experimental practices
of the Chinese Postsensibility group. They marked a new
trend in contemporary Chinese art that emphasized the
sensory experience of live art free from the constraints of
materials and concepts. This approach laid the foundation
for the development of sound art in exhibition spaces. Early
Post-sense Sensibility group exhibitions were often hosted
in informal spaces such as basement apartments, informal
art spaces, and artist studios, and most artists participated
in group exhibitions. Crucially, Cangku Art Space (1999 –
2003), China’s first new media art space located in the 798 Figure 1. Zhang Peili, 30 × 30, single-channel video, 32 min, 1988. Zhang
Art District, frequently hosted experimental art exhibitions, Peili Archive. Courtesy of Zhang Peili and Asia Art Archive. Copyright
cultural forums, and independent film screenings. These © AsiaArtArchive.
activities included some Post-sense Sensibility exhibitions
curated by Qiu Zhijie and were vital in introducing sound
art into Chinese exhibition spaces.

3. Sound art experiments and early sound-
intensive exhibition practices: 1990 – 2002
Early sound art practices in China originated in
underground rock culture. Avant-garde art creators in
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China were stimulated in the 1990s by the affordable prices
and wide availability of instruments and synthesizers and
the ease of sharing information through the Internet.
Many early sound creators were initially bereft of clear
philosophical frameworks or sound esthetics (or only
had vague ideas), notwithstanding whether they had an
artistic background or were self-taught. They were driven Figure 2. Zhang Peili, 30 × 30, single-channel video, 32 min, 1988. Zhang
by personal experience, instinct, and sensory exploration Peili Archive. Courtesy of Zhang Peili and Asia Art Archive. Copyright
to engage in sound art practices and create new media. © AsiaArtArchive.
In 1988, Zhang Peili created a single-channel video work
titled 30 × 30. (Figures 1 and 2). He used unedited original The sound-based explorations of Western artists such
sound recordings and extended the playback time of the as John Cage, Fluxus, and Bill Viola also influenced a
tape as he performed the action of repairing a broken piece generation of Chinese avant-garde experimental artists
of glass. including Yao Dajuin, Xu Zhen, Feng Mengbo, Lin
Tianmiao, Wang Gongxin, Qiu Zhijie, Wang Wei, Shi
Chinese contemporary art entered the global arena Qing, Zhang Hui, and Samson Young. Wang Jing’s study
in the 1990s, engaging in cultural dialog with the West reported that the Chinese art scene of that time lacked the
through international exhibitions. Significant exhibitions theoretical foundation established in the West for sound
during this period marked the exchange between Chinese art. Thus, Chinese artists were deprived of the institutional
artists and the global art world, for instance, China Avant- framework to position sound art as an independent
Garde After 1989 (1990, France), the Venice Biennale (1993, genre. Numerous artists aimed to develop personal
1999), and Inside Out: New Chinese Art (1998, USA). These sound esthetics but relied principally on their subjective
exhibitions also reflected the gradual decentralization of understanding and experimentation with sound media.
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the West as it began to embrace experimental art from These artists began to adopt Western sound art forms,
China. China had twice submitted folk art for the Venice particularly integrating sound with visual elements to
Biennale before this period but its entries were rejected for express cultural, political, and abstract ideas. However,
their incongruence with the exhibition themes and China China and the West differed in their cultural foundations
was excluded from the Biennale for several years. of sound art.

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 3 doi: 10.36922/ac.4669