ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
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Made in China has long been a familiar concept, but over the past 20 years, massive cultural and economic changes have given meaning to a new notion: “designed in China.” The exhibition China Design Now reveals how designers, architects, filmmakers, and artists have transformed Chinese design from imitation to innovation, leading to the rise of a new design dynasty. The approximately 100 designers whose work is featured in this exhibition have, collectively, defined a new aesthetic that reinterprets traditional Chinese forms, references global youth culture, and responds to the dreams and desires of a rising middle class. This new entrepreneurial spirit is reflected in the runway trends, street posters, photography, interior design, architectural projects, advertising, and consumer products presented in the exhibition. China Design Now is structured in three thematic sections, leading visitors on a journey from south to north along China’s coast: through Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing. Each city is a starting point for the exploration of different design fields – graphic design and visual culture in Shenzhen, fashion and lifestyle in Shanghai, and architecture and urban spaces in Beijing. |
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Shenzhen: Frontier City Once no more than a cluster of fishing villages on the northern border of Hong Kong, Shenzhen has become the largest manufacturing center in the world and the birthplace of Chinese contemporary graphic design. With an average age of 27 among its 10 million inhabitants, the city’s young designers established graphic design as a creative discipline in China—they set up the first independent practices, organized competitions with international designers as jury members, and experimented with a new graphic language that both maintained China’s traditions and incorporated international influences. Today, these designers produce everything from posters, advertisements, books, zines, and animation to toys, dolls, skateboards and sneakers, all reflecting a diversity of expression in the new Chinese economy. The exhibition includes work by designers such as Wang Xu and Wang Yuefei, pioneers of cutting-edge graphic design practices that have influenced graphics produced in other Chinese cities. The exhibition also includes Chen Shaohua’s iconic poster promoting the nation’s first graphic design exhibition in 1992, which depicts two legs intertwined—one clad in traditional Chinese dress, the other in a Western-style business suit. |
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Shanghai: Dream City Known in the 1920s and 1930s as the “Paris of the Orient,” Shanghai has long been considered China’s foremost international city and the birthplace of “modern China.” Although many residents left the city following the Communist Revolution in 1949, with the country’s economic transformation in the early 1990s, Shanghai has witnessed a strong revival of its culture of fashion and glamour. The city is now home to a growing consumer society and a new class of trendsetters, tastemakers, and designers who have launched successful cosmetic brands, fashion empires, and film and publishing companies. The exhibition spotlights the fashion and lifestyle that has defined Shanghai’s cultural renaissance and examines the aspirations of middle-class homeowners that serve as a major design driver. Featured work includes haute couture by China’s leading designers Lu Kun and Ma Ke, glossy portraits of porcelain painted girls by Wing Shya and Chen Ma, a stool combining Chinese tradition with a modern shape by Fan Ming, and shapely tea sets by Lin Jing. |
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Beijing: Future City China Design Now concludes with a showcase of Beijing architecture, including the “bird’s nest” National Stadium designed for the 2008 Olympics by architects Herzog & de Meuron. Just one of the visionary buildings now springing up in this fast-growing city of skyscrapers, hotels, and residences, the project demonstrates the transformation of Beijing’s cityscape and embodies China’s grand ambitions on the global stage. Featured works in the exhibition include the sleek information center Digital Beijing designed by Zhu Pei and the China Central Television headquarters by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren. |
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This exhibition has generated excitement throughout the city, serving as a catalyst for community engagement. Join the conversation at chinadesignnowpdx.org and share your thoughts on Twitter #CDNPDX. |
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