Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

The Influence of Dominant Groups on China’s Art Collectors and Contemporary Art Curatorial Practices

Jialin ZhangAsia Art Center*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

With the rapid development of China’s economy, contemporary Chinese art has also achieved unprecedented breakthroughs. With the expansion of globalization and as a socialist country with the unique nature of Chinese characteristics, how do the curatorial practices of Chinese contemporary art develop in a complex social environment? This research explores the influence of dominant groups on China’s art collectors and contemporary art curatorial practice based on the Frankfurt School’s critical theory. Furthermore, the research expands this theory to a broader context of China. The curatorial practices of Chinese contemporary art are deeply controlled by monopoly capital, which influences the aesthetic preferences of the public through the monopoly of popular culture. It borrows the hands of wealthy collectors to manipulate the art market. Political parties set boundaries for artistic creation through strict censorship. On the positive hand, censorship promotes the inheritance of traditional culture. By understanding that there is an invisible hand behind human cultural and artistic activities, to warn that the self-consciousness people believe is usually the result of being influenced by others’ language and behavior.

Keywords: the Frankfurt school’s social theory; monopoly capitalism; political parties; contemporary art; curatorial practices
Published: November 20, 2023
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/13/20230272
Volume: CHR Vol.13
pp. 151-158
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