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

A generation of sound experimental artists emerged in Conflict of interest
China Between 1990 and 2002. These artists relied on
personal experience, instinct, and sensory-driven new The author declares no conflicts of interest.
media creation to explore sound art. At this time, a series Author contributions
of sound-intensive exhibitions held around 2000 turned
the exhibition spaces themselves into testing grounds for This is a single-authored article.
contemporary Chinese sound art. Ethics approval and consent to participate
At the outset of the new millennium, sound became
more common in Chinese exhibition environments. Not applicable.
A new generation of artists shifted the focus of sound Consent for publication
from collective memory and cultural narrative tools to
the medium itself. Yao Dajuin also functioned pivotally Not applicable.
during this period by curating a series of sound art
exhibitions both in China and internationally and Availability of data
fostering Sino-Western exchanges in sound art. The Not applicable.
globalization of Chinese sound art has intensified since
2014. International cultural projects such as “Festival References
Croisements” have more frequently organized exhibitions 1. Licht A. Sound art: Origins, development and ambiguities.
dedicated to sound as an independent theme, marking Organised Sound. 2009;14:3.
sound art as a prominent trend in the contemporary doi: 10.1017/S1355771809000028
exhibition field. The possibilities for sound art continue to
expand and its forms of creation have become increasingly 2. Licht A. Sound art Revisited. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury
diverse. This enlargement reflects the increasing Academic, Bloomsbury Publishing Incorporated; 2019.
importance placed on sound as an artistic element as well 3. Kelly C. Sound in sight: Audio and sound-focused art
as a medium for transmitting cultural heritage in China. exhibitions in New York between 1978 and 1984. Sound
Sound art is gradually breaching geographical boundaries Stud. 2024;10(2):293-312.
and becoming a pathway through which the world can doi: 10.1080/20551940.2024.2366083
understand Chinese culture and art.
4. Li Y. Broadcast listening and the construction of collective
In addition, non-domestic scholars are attracted to the memory in the early years of New China. News Forum.
development of sound and other new media in China. The 2021;35(4):89-91.
popularity of sound in exhibition spaces elicits research doi: 10.19425/j.cnki.cn15-1019/g2.2021.04.031 [Article in
questions beyond the scope of traditional art history. For Chinese]
example, do sound artworks that can be placed anywhere 5. Barthes R. Elements of Semiology. Vol. 4. United States:
besides traditional exhibition and art spaces (including Macmillan; 1968.
but not limited to public spaces and outdoor spaces)
require specially designed exhibition settings? How does 6. Bouzida F. The semiology analysis in media studies:
the institutionalization of sound art exhibitions contribute Roland Barthes approach. In: Proceedings of SOCIOINT14-
International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities,
to (or detract from) the development of museum Vol. 81; 2014. p. 1001-1007.
identities or social roles? What impact does bringing
sound art into museums exert on how people understand 7. Wang J. Half Sound, Half Philosophy: Aesthetics, Politics, and
it? Should spaces beyond exhibition venues be designed History of China’s Sound Art. New York, NY: Bloomsbury
and institutionalized for sound art? These questions will Academic; 2021.
influence the processes of defining sound art movements 8. Jing W. Affective listening as a mode of coexistence.
in China and elsewhere. Representations. 2016;136(1):112-131.
doi: 10.1525/rep.2016.136.1.112
Acknowledgments
9. Katherine, Image and Phenomena: The Development of Video
None. Art in China, 1988 to 1998. (Research Project. Available from:
https://www.aaa.org.hk/programme/details/441
Funding
10. Qiu Z. What Matters is the Scene. Beijing: Renmin University
None. of China Press; 2003. [Book in Chinese]

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 12 doi: 10.36922/ac.4669