Curator: Suqiao Li
Ma Qiong and Meng Yangyang are the new generation of the post-80s. These two female artists have strong instincts and self-experience. They portray a world of innocent children, full of an atmosphere of freedom. Their work is based on personal situations and they use their state of mind as a creative starting point. They try to show the audience the sensitivity of women artists, as well as their external heroism.
Their works show the psychological state of a generation; sensitive, tenacious and self-centered. Mainstream contemporary art have not had an impact on their works. You will not see the typical Chinese images, such as Tiananmen Square, Mao Zedong, as well as a number of other negative images. They have abandoned the base of Chinese contemporary art and ignored the formation of market and academic values which has formed over a long time in the subconscious of previous artists. The works are created from their social environment and their own courage. Their creativity captures the spirit of individual perception. They express their response through their own spirit of individual perception to the globalization of contemporary society; full of passion to present new values. They have tried to integrate a variety of images of childhood and comprehend these fragments. They seek to establish a new impression of the "emotional narrative", showing a unique artistic style.
These two different artists’ works capture the spirit of life in the post-80s. This is presented in the way they think about history, memories, dreams and their imagination of the future. They have reflected the existence of a state of personal awareness. This example precisely provides the evidence for academic research in the developing art world. Maybe they did not re-examine the comprehensive history because they come from a birthright of rebellion and complex environment. But they attempt to create a context for self-development, out of narrow social forms of dispute. It reflects the changing of psychology of the post-socialist era. The core of the change is philosophy and objectives of their personal ideology. Such a change belongs to this generation's own values which are quietly developing.
