Nanjing is a city steeped in history, and exists at a crossroads between the various regional, geographic, cultural and historical nodes that make up Chinese arts and culture. On the banks of the Yangtze river, when invading armies capture Nanjing, either from the north or south, is often seen as a symbolic gesture that heralds the fall of all of China. This tragically important place has meant Nanjing has suffered the disasters of history, its position as a significant political and geographically point in China also means it is a city steeped in ancient culture and learning.   In recent history- during the period of world wars and revolution, in the 20th Century, among all the cities of the world Nanjing suffered more than most cities in the world, Berlin, Stalingrad, Hiroshima, Nanjing,  all suffered catastrophic destruction, perhaps among them all Nanjing’s fate can be considered the worst.
This burden of history sometimes is hard to shift from a city, and it can prevail into all aspects of life, including the arts.

I have visited Nanjing many times over the years, and it has always come across as a sleepy, academic town. People didn’t seem to want to join in the headlong development and reform process consuming the rest of China, the twin tragedies of the Nanjing massacre and losing it s position as the capital of China seemed too huge a burden to overcome. But many of the west’s top China scholars have studied in Nanjing, it is considered the best spot in the country for advanced Chinese studies. Nanjing is a town of contemplation and quiet reflection, with its parks, mausoleums, and misty atmosphere. As a place of great tragedy, as a visitor you always need to pause, and contemplate what has happened before, and look at how it exists now, reflected in the faces of the survivors and their heirs,.

But as I visited the city recently it appears the city has finally begun to shrug off some of its more lethargic aspects, the residents of Nanjing are finally beginning to suffer what has plagued the rest of China for some time- breakneck construction, spiraling house prices, clogged roads, shopping centers galore…. partly due to the award of the 2014 Youth Olympics Nanjing has taken this as an excuse to reinvent itself, a new dynamism, and new reinvention of itself, is taking place, the rebirth of a city.

Important within this change is the reflection and impact on its arts and culture. As the local artists and critics explained, Nanjing really doesn’t have a commercial contemporary art market, so the latest economic issues really had no obvious impact on the city’s arts scene. The last two years have been business as usual for Nanjing’s small crop of contemporary artists. Artists in Nanjing seem very fortunate in the terms of space and costs when compared to many other parts of China. Many artists are now based in an art studio complex on the grounds of the former Chang An car factory, at the base of Mufu mountain. With little interruption artists work in relative comfort, and their Mufu mountain base also has an art museum for them to show their works. The artists explained that since moving to the area many of them have started working on larger scale works, the large space is expanding their outlook and creative growth.

One interesting factor is that the artists tend not to follow the trends prevalent among artists in other parts of China, nor copy from each other, though they work in close proximity. Each has slowly worked on developing their own particular style, and there is little evidence of ‘groupism’ and far more evidence of individuality. The Nanjing artists have a relaxed lifestyle, and wry humour prevails, often in evidence in their work, sometimes even tinged with visionary ideas. All are masters of their medium, predominately oil paint, and a daily routine of lively dialogue over cups of tea, contribute to a scholarly, non aggressive attitude towards artistic practice in the city.

With this exhibition ‘Made in Nanjing’ viewers are offered the chance to see a little exposed group of artists, who are only just beginning to emerge within China’s art scene. Their laid back, practical and easy going attitude to life is evident in their works, offering a relaxed and contemplative view, sometimes tinged with an aura of intellectual debate, sometimes imbued with a scholarly view of society, or dealing with more personal issues. Each work presented here is the result obviously of long months of practice, thought and research. My main worry that is success may interrupt the mature process of creating artwork that has developed in Nanjing, the complete lack of a commercial arts structure in the city I think has led to better contemplative quality work, in my view. Of course all artists are interested in fame, sex and money, but the Nanjing artists have injected elements of ancient Chinese culture, and have a very sensitive eye towards light and colour. As the city is drawn into the modernization process, and soon it will be only a 1 hour journey away from Shanghai, change is inevitable. Artists are often creatures of their local environment, so as the city of Nanjing modernizes and joins in with the new China of today, and has greater exposure,  it will be interesting to watch the progress of these artists into the future.

Chris Gill  Shanghai, April 22, 2010