Karen Smith's 'Nine Lives' Chronicles China's Post-Cultural Revolution Avant-Garde Art Movement

In her 2008 publication, 'Nine Lives: The Birth of Avant-Garde Art in New China,' Karen Smith explores the rise of avant-garde art in China following the Cultural Revolution of 1976. Having relocated to China in 1993, Smith chronicles the journey of artists achieving global acclaim through Western artistic traditions. Notable figures include Ai Weiwei, Xu Bing, Wang Guangyi, Fang Lijun, Geng Jianyi, Gu Dexin, Li Shan, Zhang Xiaogang, Zhang Peilli, and Wang Jianwei. She draws comparisons between the avant-garde of the 1980s in China and Western modernism, providing insights into artists' reactions to the Tiananmen Square incident of 1989 and subsequent economic changes. Additionally, she acknowledges modernist Wu Guangzhong, born in 1919, for his unique perspectives, while her experiences at Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts reveal the remarkable talent and dedication of students.