MaJaC Colloquium: Marie Jahoda Fellow Dr Hongwei Bao (University of Nottingham): ‚Art of the Cool Kids‘: Locating Queer Art in China

With the impulse ‚Art of the Cool Kids‘: Locating Queer Art in China Marie Jahoda Fellow 2024 Dr Hongwei Bao will give the second lecture within the context of the MaJaC Colloquium in the winter term 24/25. Dr Hongwei Bao is Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK, where he co-directs the Centre for Critical Theory and Cultural Studies. As curator and producer Dr Bao curated countless community art projects. He is a Trustee of UK New Artists, an arts charity dedicated to supporting young and emerging artists.

The Chinese term for ‘queer’ is 酷儿, literally meaning ‘cool kids’, a late twentieth century invention under neoliberal globalisation. What does it mean to look for queerness before the term ‘queer’ became known to Chinese artists and the general public? This paper asks what queer art (酷儿艺术) is and how to find queerness in modern art. To start the provocation, it looks at some images from modern and contemporary Chinese art that can be seen as ‘queer’: from early 20^th century New Year Calendars that manifest female same-sex intimacy, to communist propaganda posters which showcase male homosociality. In particular, the paper focuses on Chinese folk artist Xiyadie’s papercuts, which are on exhibition in Venice Biennale 2024, and the Ergao Dance Group’s contemporary dance, which draws inspirations from traditional Chinese folk dance. Whilst all these artworks can be labelled as queer art, they are not necessarily modern (现代) or avant-garde (先锋 or 前卫). They lay bare the anti-traditional bias of the term ‘modern’, and the masculinist, militant and confrontational undertone of the term ‘avant-garde’. By locating queerness in Chinese art and identifying queer art from a disparate body of works, this paper also interrogates what epistemological violences we may commit when a contemporary term is applied to historical and non-western contexts to the erasure of alternative forms of gender, sexuality, artistic expression, history and knowledge.

Dr Hongwei Bao’s lecture starts at 6:15 PM on the ground floor of Uni 105 (Universitätsstraße 105, Room 14). It will be held in English spoken language. The room is accessible for wheelchair users. Please let us know if you require any assistance.

Please find further information on the other lectures within the context of the MaJaC Colloquium here.