Calligraphy is a central tenet of Chinese civilization. The whole history of China is strictly linked to the history of its writing and calligraphy. In contemporary times Calligraphy has undergone a radical change and it has evolved into new forms in all fields of visual and performing arts. WRITE will explore how all these forms emerged in: (F1) “fine and contemporary arts” where it became a naïf painting made of pictographic shapes of characters, an abstract combination of dots and lines, a “light-calli-photograph,” an artistic video based on digital strokes; (F2) decorative and applied arts, where the characters lost their connection with the linguistic meaning to become decorative elements used for commercial scopes or to design architectures; (F3) performing arts, where the rhythm, dynamism and harmonic movement of calligraphy became a choreographic gesture of a contemporary ballet or an improvised jazz song; (F4) graffiti art, where the presence of calligraphy along the streets evolved from Maoist propaganda posters into graffiti pieces made of wild-style characters or cursive tags. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, WRITE will analyze how these new forms have been transforming not only the creative practice of contemporary artists but also the language about calligraphy and art (F5/F6), reflecting new socio-political (F7) and economic (F8) orders. WRITE will examine the innovative ways in which these new forms of calligraphy have responded to, subverted or reinterpreted traditional idioms to define a modern artistic identity that exists comfortably within the global art world while remaining indelibly Chinese. By looking at contemporary calligraphy, WRITE will reveal how these new forms powerfully resonate with China’s rich and enduring cultural tradition and at the same time mirror the sweeping social and economic changes that have taken place in China during the last four decades.
La calligrafia è un asse fondamentale della cultura e della civiltà cinese. L’intera storia della Cina è legata a doppio filo con la storia della sua scrittura e della calligrafia. In età contemporanea, la calligrafia cinese ha subito una radicale trasformazione e si è evoluta in nuove forme in tutti i campi delle arti visive e performative. WRITE esplora come tutte queste nuove forme sono emerse nell’ambito delle: (1) arti visive contemporanee, dove la calligrafia ha preso, per esempio, la forma di pitture naïf costituite da caratteri fortemente pittografici, di combinazioni astratte di punti e linee, di fotografie fatte di caratteri di luce o persino di videogame artistici basati su pennellate digitali; (2) arti decorative e applicate, dove i caratteri hanno perso il legame con il loro significato linguistico per diventare elementi esornativi usati per scopi commerciali o per dare vita a moderne linee architettoniche; (3) arti performative, dove il ritmo, il dinamismo e i movimenti armonici propri della calligrafia sono permutati in un gesto coreografico di un balletto contemporaneo o in trame ritmiche di una canzone jazz d’improvvisazione; (4) arte dei graffiti, dove la presenza della calligrafia lungo le strade è passata da quella usata nei poster di propaganda maoisti a “pezzi” di writing formati da caratteri cinesi resi in wildstyle con tag scritte in calligrafie corsive. Servendosi di un approccio multidisciplinare, WRITE analizzerà come queste nuove forme hanno trasformato non solo la pratica creativa di molti artisti contemporanei ma anche il linguaggio stesso della calligrafia, riflettendo nuovi scenari sociali, politici ed economici. WRITE esaminerà i modi innovativi in cui queste nuove forme di calligrafia hanno assorbito, sovvertito e reinterpretato idiomi tradizionali per definire un’identità artistica moderna che partecipa del meccanismo della globalizzazione dell’arte internazionale pur rimanendo indelebilmente cinese. Andando a studiare approfonditamente la calligrafia contemporanea cinese, WRITE rivelerà come queste nuove forme richiamano in maniera forte ed efficace la ricca tradizione culturale cinese e, allo stesso tempo, riflettono i cambiamenti in atto nella Cina di oggi e degli ultimi quarant’anni.
WenDAng - WRITE Digital Archive
Iezzi Adriana
In corso di stampa
Abstract
Calligraphy is a central tenet of Chinese civilization. The whole history of China is strictly linked to the history of its writing and calligraphy. In contemporary times Calligraphy has undergone a radical change and it has evolved into new forms in all fields of visual and performing arts. WRITE will explore how all these forms emerged in: (F1) “fine and contemporary arts” where it became a naïf painting made of pictographic shapes of characters, an abstract combination of dots and lines, a “light-calli-photograph,” an artistic video based on digital strokes; (F2) decorative and applied arts, where the characters lost their connection with the linguistic meaning to become decorative elements used for commercial scopes or to design architectures; (F3) performing arts, where the rhythm, dynamism and harmonic movement of calligraphy became a choreographic gesture of a contemporary ballet or an improvised jazz song; (F4) graffiti art, where the presence of calligraphy along the streets evolved from Maoist propaganda posters into graffiti pieces made of wild-style characters or cursive tags. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, WRITE will analyze how these new forms have been transforming not only the creative practice of contemporary artists but also the language about calligraphy and art (F5/F6), reflecting new socio-political (F7) and economic (F8) orders. WRITE will examine the innovative ways in which these new forms of calligraphy have responded to, subverted or reinterpreted traditional idioms to define a modern artistic identity that exists comfortably within the global art world while remaining indelibly Chinese. By looking at contemporary calligraphy, WRITE will reveal how these new forms powerfully resonate with China’s rich and enduring cultural tradition and at the same time mirror the sweeping social and economic changes that have taken place in China during the last four decades.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
