Familiar image, unfamiliar thoughts

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Summary

They produce works that have reverberated round the world. From Beijing to Yunnan, a group of artists - variously called contemporary or avant-garde - are painting, sculpting, photographing, and in...

They produce works that have reverberated round the world. From Beijing to Yunnan, a group of artists - variously called contemporary or avant-garde - are painting, sculpting, photographing, and installing images of China as they see it. They create works in their own likeness in the name of cynical-realism; paint updated landscapes that are a world away from traditional Chinese works; or burn Cultural Revolution materials to form collages of Mao - and the international art world is intrigued. This series, produced out of China, and shot entirely in high definition - visits the world of China's big-name artists. We observe them at work, visit their inner circle, and listen in to their observations about their Motherland. We find out how these artists - who once upon a time knew nothing about selling their works - are coping with earnest collectors begging for new paintings, ever-demanding galleries, and even officials who now see them as China's "new ambassadors" to the world.

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