“Cynical realism—it’s the intelligent man’s best excuse for doing nothing in an intolerable situation.” - Aldous Huxley

In Beijing, October 2006 two monumental art world events coincided to the fanfare of endless camera shutters: the opening of the Today Art Museum’s new space in Beijing and within it’s walls, the first Mainland solo exhibition of one of China’s most archetypical contemporary painters and celebrated “cynical realist” Fang Lijun. It was a strange “debut” in his hometown––late by almost 20 years––yet he is one of the most recognizable Mainland Chinese artists in the world.

Fang Lijun’s baldheads on desolate landscapes have become an iconic symbol of contemporary Chinese art, and Fang the commonly accepted as the definitive “cynical realist.” The Cynical Realist school that he so roundly represents and its contemporary, “Political Pop” have become the two most identifiable and uniquely “Chinese” contemporary art movements from the mainland—they are also some of the highest priced works in the international art market today.

Cynical Realism at a Glance

Cynical Realist painting, which emerged in the early 1990s, was a step towards personal expression and away from the collective mindset that prevailed in the Cultural Revolution, it is often linked with the political events of 1989 that left a sour taste in the hearts and psychologies of artists and intellectuals in Beijing, the cultural capital of China. Although Cynical Realist works maintain an ambiguous relationship with society and politics, socio-political themes emerge in form and content; politics are seen from a distance and take no clear pro-con stance on issues. The result is a cold, realistic view of a Chinese society in transition, a “stylized ambivalence” and a form of humor––later coined “grey humor”–– transcending the political realm although its roots clearly lie there. Fang Lijun incorporates his characteristic individual touches, such as the dusty landscapes of his native Hebei; other artists considered “Cynical Realists” include Yue Minjun, Yang Shaobin and according to some historians early works by Liu Xiaodong are considered as such, although he is more often categorized in the “New Generation” academic school of painters.

Fang Lijun was born in Hebei Province in 1963 and graduated in 1989 from China’s most prestigious arts academy, the Central Academy of Art in Beijing. In the early 90s he worked in Beijing’s “Yuanmingyuan Artist Community,” where other bohemians were congregating and taking shelter in their creative companionship. They lived on mere nickels and dimes per day and made their art in a virtual vacuum, for there was no market for their works, no glimpse of hope for their public exhibition and an utter lack of a mainstream forum in which to discuss their works. Within this truly unique and unparalleled creative incubator artists endured truly “realist” (understood as frugal) lifestyles, sacrificing material comfort for artistic passions. Many successful, sought after Chinese artists were part of this early community: Yue Minjun, Zhang Xiaogang and Wang Jinsong. Here in the Yuanmingyuan village they bonded together in bitter poverty, painting, drinking and cavorting on the fringes of Beijing’s society, both geographically and allegorically.

Cynical Realism was “born” of this bohemian climate in the early 90s, a time when the avant-garde was malnourished in Chinese society, many leaders in the art community had fled overseas, and art galleries were non-existent. The void was filled by these hives of underground activity led by bold independent curators and convening in the Yuanmingyuan artists’ village as well as the “East Village” that was later famous for its police-busted exhibitions. As a young painter among many, Fang Lijun was fortunate to commence his exhibition resume in 1993 with the 45th Venice Biennale as his very first. A series of European exhibitions followed, as well as his inclusion in every international show outlining Chinese contemporary painting in the past 15 years. On his road to fame the name “Cynical Realism” was elevated along with him.

Chinese Art and the West

Art critics and historians debate over whether the “Western gaze” has had too great an influence on the development of Chinese contemporary art; this argument is reflected strongly in Cynical Realism.

Undeniably, the Chinese art market at the time of Cynical Realism emergence was driven almost exclusively by foreign buyers, Westerners living or traveling in China, many foreign diplomats became important collectors such as Uli Sigg (who now curates for the Shanghai MOCA) or the Ullens family (who built their substantial collection at this time) Likewise, public exhibition of these works was almost exclusively on foreign soil (recall it was October 2006 when Fang Lijun opened his first solo show on the Mainland). Market factors and exhibitions opportunities were rooted in Western culture, and to an extent this implied Western tastes. Thus were the unique circumstances that the Chinese avant-garde developed under.

Criticism of artists pandering to Western perceptions of Chinese society still exist, and those who argue the movement too strongly reflects Western perceptions on China are usually referencing Cynical Realism’s veiled criticism of Chinese society and her government, which is interpreted as intolerable and oppressive. Art critic Pi Li contends that the West’s understanding of Chinese contemporary art was distorted from the beginning. His argument points out artists who “exposed the suppression of human nature” in China were abnormally praised by Western curators and collectors, thus their art was shown widely in Europe and North America.

To assume that all artists were pandering to the western gaze would be an insult to Chinese artists themselves. While of course there will always be artists in every group that pander to market interests, a majority were working towards the expression of something uniquely Chinese, something relevant to a modern context and moving in the direction of new manifestations of the avant-garde. The use of Western elements can also be interpreted as a necessary evil, an obligatory passage for these artists struggling to find their footing while participating in a completely new international cultural arena.

What’s “Chinese” about Cynical Realism?

What made these works “Chinese?” Broadly speaking they included elements not part of the art world’s globally accepted “modernity,” making them a novelty to Western audiences. In stark contrast with contemporary artists from the West, Socialist Realism was an integral foundation for Fang Lijun and his contemporaries. Academy artists were necessarily trained in the Soviet tradition and the very purpose of art was heavily endowed with connotations of being “for the general public,” a psychological vestige from this generation’s upbringing during the Cultural Revolution.

Perhaps the “cynical” reflects their attitude and reaction to their social environment. The fertile and unique social conditions at the time promised something distinct was bound to emerge. Blending China’s 30 years of rapid social transition with a distinct Socialist Realist representational practice in painting, and add a incubatory greenhouse of pent-up creative frustrations, the it is an inexplicable tangled web. Cynical Realism can also be interpreted as word play for those who were educated copying the Soviet Realist masters. The “cynical” in Cynical Realism can also be understood as a prefix to the “Realist” elements found in these works, of course, this was almost direct related to the pedagogical historical of socialist realism in academies around China.

The Chinese contemporary art world is distinct from the Western one because it lacks entirely “modernity” similar to the Western world. At the time, Chinese artists had no inherent understanding of modern art, or cultural context in which to place it neatly. Problematically, their creations also do not fit neatly into the timeline of art history that mapped out by Western art historians.

Influential Chinese intellectuals also played an important role in shaping emerging Cynical Realists. It was in this underground arts milieu that art critic/curator Li Xianting, often referenced to as the “godfather of Chinese contemporary art,” first put forth the idea of cynical realism. Throughout, Li played a crucial role in promoting the works of these “underground” artists to foreign curators, media and collectors. Any visitor to Beijing in search of the Chinese art world was bound to seek him out, thus his gaze played just an important role in determining who received attention at the time… he was especially fond of Fang Lijun, and surely played no small part in the artist’s notoriety.

Realistically Speaking?

Western historians attribute the emergence of Cynical Realism to the disheartenment and post-1989 gloom among the avant-garde, a result also of the dearth of an arts community and lack of social rights. Milestone exhibition closings such as the “China/AvantGarde” exhibition at the National Gallery in 1989 and a frustrating political climate left a bitter taste in many people’ mouths, and the art community went completely underground for the first few years following 1989. Is it possible that this “incubatory period” was a blessing in disguise for a small, now millionaire group of artists? The unique socio-political conditions together with their “persecutions” that fed them so much inspiration; a kind of piggy-backed credibility is also given to many less-successful Yuanmingyuan artists today.

In response to the Chinese intellectuals’ criticism that the movement was built on the “Western gaze” and that it exploited Western opinions of Chinese society and government, regardless of any so-called pandering to foreign audiences, Cynical Realism and other contemporary movements were an essential stage of development for Mainland art communities.

What remains now of Cynical Realism? Although in high demand, does the latest art of Fang Lijun still reflect the same intensity in an era when he is one of the wealthiest and renowned artists in China? His 2006 show at Today Art Museum did not receive rave reviews. A successful self-promoter and restaurant entrepreneur, is he spreading himself too thin? How important was the circumstantial greenhouse that created Cynical Realism to its historical gravity and worth in the market today?

Cynical Realism is often called the “golden pig” of a thriving Chinese art market, and the commercial appeal of the works is proven: in December 2006 at Beijing’s Poly Contemporary Art auction a work by Fang Lijun sold for 2,420,000 RMB (US $300,000), setting the record for the day’s auction. He continues to be one of the most visible and sought after contemporary artists in China today.

This article was commissioned for that’s shanghai in 2006, but was unfortunately censored. I’m happy to bring it to you here, despite some not-so-fresh statistics.

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