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2008-03-06
10 Tops In the Grip of the Dragon
Eddy Soetriyono

As it turns out, the “ten priciest works by Asian artists” slot in 2007 was dominated by works by Chinese artists, including Classic (Li Keran), Social Realist (Chen Yifei), and the Modern (Xu Beihong, Chen Chengbo, Zao-Wuoki, and Wu Guanzhong) as well as the Contemporary (Yue Minjun and Cai Guo-Qiang) works.

First place was taken by Cai Guo-Qiang (b. 1957) whose works have soared in value as market awareness of his reputation in global art discourse has risen. Cai is the Chinese contemporary artist at the forefront of the world contemporary art stage, with a solo retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2008. (See The Big Bang: Cai Guo-Qiang in this issue of C-Arts).

Cai's work also became the priciest work by Asian artists to be sold at auction last year when his Drawings for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (2002) sold at Christie’s Hong Kong on 22 November 2007 for a hammer price of US$ 8,487,600. Meanwhile, also in the contemporary category, a work in the Cynical-Realism style by contemporary painter, Yue Minjun (b. 1962) occupied eighth position, with a hammer price of US$ 3,612,000.

Following Cai in second position was a work by the “master of horse painting” in the treasure trove of Chinese Classical art: Xu Beihong (1895-1953). But the priciest work of Xu Beihong this time was not a horse painting in the Classic style; instead it was a Modernist piece, a “realistic” oil painting on canvas entitled, Put Down your Whip (1939), which was auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong on 7 April 2007, selling at a hammer price of US$ 8,185,600.

Nevertheless, one Chinese classical painting did make it into the top ten priciest Asian artworks in 2007. Occupying seventh position, one up on the work of contemporary painter Yue Minjun, was a painting by Li Keran (1907-1989) entitled, All the Mountains Blanketed in Red (1964), with a hammer price of US$ 3.961.800.

Li Keran is a Chinese classical painter with a substantial reputation—even though he is not yet considered to be in the “master class” like Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, and Xu Beihong. If Qi Baishi is famed as an artist extremely masterful at depicting all sorts of insects, shrimps and crabs, and Xu Beihong has no equal in the world in painting horses, then it seems Li Keran would be positioned as a painter who paints buffalo with finesse. But it appears that it is his landscapes—black and white and reddish—that have tended to sell in the art market up to now for much higher prices than the buffalo paintings.

Regarding Eulogy of the Yellow River (1972), the Social Realist work by Chen Yifei (1946-2005) of the Cultural Revolution period that ranked in sixth place, with a hammer price of US$ 4,694,400 at the China Guardian, Beijing on 13 May 2007, readers may refer back to articles in C-Arts 00, November-December 2007 on The Evolution of China Realism (pp. 34-38) and Cultural Revolution Revolutionizes Market (pp. 56-59).

...read more on C-Arts Magazine (ISSUE#02) read more in TOP TEN @ C-ARTS VOLUME-02


HIGHLIGHTS
2011-03-30

Van Gogh Alive – the Exhibition set to open on 16 April 2011 

Singapore (30 March 2011) In commemoration of Van Gogh’s birth date today, the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands announced that it will host the world touring premiere of Van Gogh Alive – the Exhibition. Visitors will get to experience Vincent Van Gogh’s art work come alive in an exhibition that will combine the latest in sound and projection technology using images of Van Gogh’s masterpieces.

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2011-01-05

Works by Vincent Leow A mid-career survey of Vincent Leow’s oeuvre marking a new direction in the artistic practice of Leow,

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2011-01-05

Organized by Hou Hanru in collaboration with ShContemporary 9th September, 2010

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2031-01-01

An interesting exploration into art in Singapore by nineteen artists, including seniors like Tang Da Wu, Jimmy Ong and Zai Kuning “who have lived

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2010-10-06

The installations of Java’s Machine: Phantasmagoria by Augustinus Kuswidananto (a.k.a. Jompet) have been shown in a number of variations, exploring syncretism or strategies to reconcile

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2010-10-06

Filipino artist Bembol Dela Cruz presents the concept of art reflecting art, with an explosive narrative that carves life out

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2010-10-06

Islamic art in Indonesia used to be associated with religious calligraphy only, but in 2009 Lawangwangi’s exhibition of Contemporary Islamic Art showed that calligraphy is just a form of language.

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EMERGING ARTIST

There is a new epidemic trend in the contemporary art of Asia sweeping through the population of younger artists: Animamix Art.

 

 

Amalia Kartika Sari

 

Each artist has a full right, and at the same time an obligation, to explore forms and ideas continuously, although naturally there will be many obstructions and challenges along the way.

Hayatudin

 

“A community is often proud of a certain building, viewing it with a sense of grandeur. Meanwhile, a range of monumental idioms are often used to mark great moments in history. 

Edo Pillu

From different generations and cultural backgrounds, S Teddy D and Daniel Flanagan present together their collaboration on Transubstantiation.

Daniel Flanagan

From different generations and cultural backgrounds, S Teddy D and Daniel Flanagan present together their collaboration on Transubstantiation.

 

S Teddy D

Not unlike other Filipino-Americans who journey to the Philippines to learn more about their roots, Hanna Pettyjohn undertook such a passage in reverse.

 

Hanna Pettyjohn

I do not wish to become a president, professor, doctor, governor, celebrity, corruptor, politic expert or anything else.

Nyoman Darya

Solo Exhibition:

 

1998 Urban Personality Exhibition, Chongqing, China

2001 Hangzhou Jincai Gallery

 

 

 

He Wei-Na

Ong-Arj’s painting has point out thoroughly content in a society condition today. Even it express through looks weird human image.

 

Ong-Arj Loeamornpagsin

Fazar paints with his heart. He believes that his interpretation is like “worship”. Any composition existing in his painting is his effort of concretizing what he feels.

 

Fajar Roma Agung Wibisono

With great imagination, he has been using a very unique artistic language to express his very much primitive and strong emotion on the surrounding characters.

Yang Pei Jiang

In Ardana’s works garlic becomes most artistic in various ways it is rendered whether it is presented individually or in groups of bulbs, cut open, blown up, its thin and transparent layers peeled, as well as severed and torn.

Dewa Ngakan Ardana

Filippo Amato Sciascia (born at Palma, Di Montechiaro, Italy, 1972) will present his solo exhibition of his recent works titled Lux Lumina at Kendra Gallery of Contemporary Art from the 12th December 2009 – 14th January 2010. 

Lux Lumina

Hui Xin’s art addresses both the phenomenon of our constant need for visual stimuli, as well as our desire to be surrounded by objects that give us pleasure. His new paintings and sculptures bring out a dichotomy between naive happiness and adult-themed amusements.

Hui Xin

Since childhood, Nano has enjoyed reading comics, even producing his own comic book in junior high school. Comics became the first visual art Nano came to know. 

Nano Warsono

2002:"Ilusi Koran", Semarang Gallery, Semarang. "Transisi", Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta.

Budi Ubrux

Selected Solo Exhibition 

2005:“Paradoks Batas”, Edwin Galeri, Jakarta. 2003: “Painthink”, Edwin Galeri, Jakarta.

F. Sigit Santoso

He got  The Special Award  From The 25th Exhibition of Contemporary art in 2008 and winner Prize from 11th Panasonic  Contemporary Painting Competition when he postgraduate. 

Chalermpon Ratanakomonwat

The inspiration behind his recent paintings came in 2005 while he was observing his second child was a son. People say that when babies sleep they are guarded by angels. This common experience evoked a wave of questions: Was the baby dreaming? What was he dreaming about? What was he feeling?

WAHYU GEIYONK

“Many artists like to ponder on the past and the present through the history of human civilization,” says young artist Wang Mian. “With pieces of information and inspiration they

WANG MIAN
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ISSUE #23
C-ARTS VOLUME-23
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ART AGENDA

The Tang Shipwreck: Gold and Ceramics from 9th-century China
www.golinharris.com
 
Don’t Forget To Remember
www.dontforgettoremember.org
 
Solo Exhibition of Sui Jianguo and Zang Kunkun happening at MOCA and Linda Gallery
www.lindagallery.com
 
Rhapsody for the Otherness
www.oneeastasia.org
 
Gajah Gallery presents A celebration of our 15 years
 

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