Art Attack: Film Festival Buzz, Maker Carnival and Is China Number One?

Did you know China’s now the biggest art market in the world? Yep. A big report announced this about a month ago, and with the Beijing International Film Festival finishing up and the Maker Carnival starting up for the first time here, the world has no choice but to pay more and more attention to this country’s “soft power.” But where do we come in?

Let’s be honest, the Beijing International Film Festival – Beijing’s aspirational version of Sundance or Cannes – is still much more about generating lucrative co-productions than it is about gathering film lovers for a community event that celebrates the art of filmmaking. Screenings, talks and forums are spread out all over the city, and programming is a little unfocused and bewildering. One documentary filmmaker we talked to who was flown out here from NY mentioned that screenings for the “artier” foreign films have had about 3-4 audience members. Ouch.

The idealists among us are still holding out that things will develop in the right direction in the years to come. For now, take a look at shots from the red carpet. Also of note is the concern over whether Hollywood is “dirtying its hands” by taking part in the gift-giving traditions inherent in Chinese business deals. Sure, corruption and bribery have their place here (as if they don't in Tinseltown), but I also chalk it up to culture clash. This’ll get smoother once filmmakers from the East and West are more used to being in bed together, so to speak.

As mentioned before, the Maker Carnival is also coming to town this year. For those who don’t know, the conference is a favorite of design and tech nerds the world over. Most of it is taking place at the new CMoDA venue near the Military Museum, but a Maker Salon is happening at Studio X (down Fangjia hutong) tomorrow night, 8pm. For more info, give Studio X a call (6401 8208).

A month ago or so, it was announced that China has now officially taken over the US as the world’s largest art market. All the industry people are saying, “Dude, this is big time!” (paraphrased). Now’s a good time to check out what all the fuss is about, as 798 and Caochangdi both have lots to see, courtesy of Caochangdi PhotoSpring and a spate of new openings at the UCCA, just to start with. See below for more.

Tonight, Culture Yard is also screening a documentary about satellite debris falling on a hapless farming village. Read our Q+A with that director here. There’s also another screening of Peng Lei’s film Follow Follow at BC MOMA tomorrow night, and a doc called When the Bough Breaks – about migrant children as their shanties are threatened by encroaching development – showing at Zajia Lab on May 3.

The Beijing Writers Group has always met on Mondays at The Bookworm, but they’re looking to build out their ranks again, so if you need a place to workshop your writing, head there this holiday.

EVENTS:

Apr 28
Film: Follow Follow
Chinese youth take a rock & roll journey spurred on by the spirit of Kurt Cobain. RMB 40, RMB 30 (students and seniors), RMB 25 (members). 4pm. BC MOMA (8438 8258)

Apr 30
Beijing Writers Group
Share your work-in-progress and a drink with other writers. Call Jonathan (186 1139 6194) or email Bridget (storyvillegirl@gmail.com). Free. 7.30pm. The Bookworm

May 3
Film: When the Bough Breaks
Ji Dan observes migrant children on the borders of Beijing. RMB 15. 8pm. Zajia Lab (8404 9141)

ART EXHIBITS:

Last call:
Li Zhanyang: The Nightmare
Until Apr 29. A little girl faces the dangers of China’s education system. Free. Galeris Urs Meile (6433 3393)

On for the next several weeks:
Gu Dexin: The Important Thing Is Not the Meat
Until May 27. Rotting fruit, a sea of plastic and fantastic paintings make up this retrospective of one of China’s most important avant-garde artists (see Feature, p48). RMB 15, free (students with ID, members). UCCA (5780 0200)

Guest: Standing on the Shoulders of Little Clowns
Until May 27. Curated by well-established art co-op MadeIn Company, this show by artist group Guest is an installation in the form of an interactive circus. Could an art exhibit be any more fun? RMB 15. UCCA (5780 0200)

Jennifer Wen Ma: Hanging Garden in Ink
Until May 27. A lush canopy of live plants with their leaves painted in traditional Chinese ink makes you feel you’ve walked onto a scroll. RMB 15. UCCA (5780 0200)

FRAC Collection: 30th Anniversary
Until May 31. France’s Regional Fund for Contemporary Art celebrates 30 years of crucial art funding with a special exhibit of photos and videos from its rare collection. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring (see Feature, p54). Free. China Art Archives and Warehouse (8456 5152)

Jean-Christian Bourcart: Camden
Until May 31. A closer look at Camden, New Jersey – the most dangerous city in America. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring (see Feature, p54). Free. C-Space (6432 2663)

Stefen Chow and Lin Hui-Yi: The Poverty Line
Until May 31. Photographs of what a day’s wages can buy in different parts of the world in an exploration of global poverty. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring (see Feature, p54). Free. Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (6432 2663)

Beyond Words: Photography from the New Yorker
Until Jun 10. Images from 1890 up to 2010 that have decorated the pages of one of the world’s most-read magazines. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring (see Feature, p54). RMB 15. UCCA (5780 0200)

Transcendence: The 2012 Three Shadows Photography Award
Until Jun 15. Hundreds of young photographers submitted nearly 10,000 works. See the finalists and find out this year’s winner at the opening on Apr 21. Part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring (see Feature, p54). Free. Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (6432 2663)

Andrew Wyeth in China
Until May 12. The American master of rural paintings gets his first show in China, where his influence echoed through the early contemporary art movement. Viewings by appointment. Free. YUAN Space (6561 8442)

Le Chambre Claire
Until Jun 2. Five Chinese artists explore the role photography plays in art with new experimental works and installations. Free. Taikang Space (5127 3173)

Chen Ke’s Red Road
Until Jun 3. The painter known for her “cute” aesthetic grows up with this first solo show. Free. Red Gate Gallery (6525 1005)

Luo Mingjun: New Works
Until Jul 3. New works from a man who’s brought you huge paper boats and text printed on shot glasses. Free. Pekin Fine Arts (5127 3220)

I See China
Until Jul 3. Colin Chinnery, Zhao Liang, Wang Chuan and a host of others chime in for Caochangdi PhotoSpring. Free. Pekin Fine Arts (5127 3220)

Photo: People’s Daily Online