Chen Guangcheng may be leaving China soon, as passports are expected to be issued to his family "within 15 days," he said, according to the Telegraph. At least one BJC contributor is sad to see him go. By Lola B For the past couple of weeks, scrolling through windows of China news, the only face staring at me that commands my attention has been that of Chen Guangcheng. And you know what? There are worse thi ...

Fan Shisan’s “2 of Us” series (in which the same subject is photographed twice, creating two friends out of one individual) argues that the One-Child-Policy generation is the loneliest generation. My art critic friend and I walked through a Miyazaki spring wonderland of floating tree sperm to make a point of arriving early to Caochangdi on Saturday. For you see, it was the opening of the third annual Caocha ...

[caption id="attachment_2124" align="alignnone" width="456" caption="Lucian Freud's painting of Bella, his daughter"][/caption] I’m not sure how the topic came up, but over drinks at a newish bar on Beiluoguxiang, a few friends and I started discussing nudity and a certain sans-vêtements Beijing summer gathering last year (if you didn’t hear about it, your loss). “Oh, we were only naked, it was no big d ...

I leaned over my Japanese eel handroll bought by the 10-year-old Chinese girl’s mother who was decked in glistening gold chains and a sparkling chemise. Looking squarely at the girl on this, our very first appointment, I asked her, “What is bad art?” She matter-of-factly responded, “Art made by grown-ups.”  As an interim project to help keep a trickle of income, I had agreed to take on an oil painting stude ...

Regarding the “I Am Beauty” sculptures that appeared recently on this site: I suppose I should just be happy to see a public monument to the fact that everyone likes sex. But you have questions, I just know it: Is it porn? Is it art? Is it actually porn cleverly disguised as art? No. To all the above. ...

Via Learn to Art Asked why she painted the mausoleum yellow – “This is wrong,” the Chinese art professor scolded – the foreign student at a top Chinese art school provided a thorough rejoinder defending the logic behind her aesthetic choice. The girl’s translator relayed the information to the professor. The next second, the student found herself kicked out of class for insubordination. I bet in any Western ...

Via The Green Pea Boat “I like to help my students as much as I can.” Sitting at his dining room table at 10 pm while nibbling on expensive imported dried apricots, the Chinese art professor uttered this while texting recommendations on behalf of his graduating students to collectors and other well-moneyed contacts. “I’m sorry I’m not paying more attention to you,” he mumbled to me. “No, no,” I replied, imp ...

My retinal neuroprocessors shifted into slo-mo as his hand, fingers twitching, extended to caress the oil painting at the National Art Museum of China. As a painter myself, I completely understand the urge to cop a feel of a comely piece of work. However, three points for consideration regarding this particular case of public non-consensual groping: ...

[caption id="attachment_594" align="alignnone" width="369" caption="A Photo Booth creation: instead of art school, just pull out your Mac to save yourself time and money."][/caption] While huffing bubbles into my coconut’s milky core, I told my Beijing-born friend nonchalantly and without embarrassment that I had graduated from art school with a major in painting. Her response? “Great! Well, at least you ca ...

[caption id="attachment_216" align="alignnone" width="680" caption="Qi BaiShi vs. Marilyn Monroe, by Zhang Wei (via The Grand Narrative)"][/caption] Two weekends ago, our mouths overflowing with Lantern Festival sesame-injected sweet rice balls, a Chinese art historian asked me why Americans don’t buy Guohua (国画).Guohua is the National Chinese painting style that Westerners all know from the animated openin ...