Theflag-bearersoftheChineseContemporaryArt
Inthelate1970s,atthecloseoftheCulturalRevolution,agroupof
young,largelyauto-didactartistsinChinaendeavoredtocreateartwork
thatwoulddepartfrompresentnormsandreflectindividualideals.It
wasaperiodofhopeforthefuture,fullofenergypermeatingalllevels
ofsociety.Theartistscamefromavarietyofbackgroundsandhadan
evengreatervarietyofartistictrainingandskill,buttheirideasunited
themaroundacommongoal.Thefirstexhibitionorganizedbythe
Starsgroup(Xingxinghuahui,星星畫會)isoneofthekeyoutdoor
showsandoneofthemostradicalunofficialexhibitionsfollowing
theendoftheCulturalRevolution,representingformanyscholars
thebeginningsofaChineseavant-gardeforapost-MaoChina.Itis
amovementtowardartisticdemocracy―aperformanceeven―taking
placeoverthecourseofthreeyearsandbringinganengagedgroup,
withindividualideas,intotheheartoftheofficialartestablishment.
TheseStarswouldsetintomotionthepoliciesandnormsthatlater
generationsofcontemporaryChineseartistswouldbuilduponto
expandtheirmindsandartisticvocabularies.
Inthe40thanniversaryofthefoundingoftheStars,Stars79–80
collectsthemostsignificantwritings,imagesandartworksoftheStars.
Itcapturestheyouthfulnessandvibrantofanewideologicalmovement
thatsweptthroughthecapitalwithhurricaneforce.
