Chinese Art In The Modern World

Progress did not just solely come from the West. China has long been the cradle of Asian civilization and it is visible in the countless works of art and historic pieces that speaks so highly of the country’s rich history and culture that has spanned centuries. Even today, China is still a force to reckon with in the global arena. Simply just look at where most products are made and you’d see them labeled as “Made in China” and it is easy to see how much influence The Land of the Red Dragon still has over the rest of the world. If that’s the case, it is still possible for Chinese Art to gain international recognition for being classic masterpieces that they are.

Not only is the government determined in preserving their rich culture but even private individuals with a lot of cash to burn take part in the initiative to protect Chinese contemporary art for the generations to come. Philanthropists like Adrian Cheng is surely able to do this impossible feat as he is backed by his multi-billion businesses in jewelry and real estate. He has long set up a foundation that aims to preserve the works of contemporary Chinese artists to better position contemporary Chinese culture for all the world to see. He values the importance of having a solid cultural identity for the burgeoning younger and wealthier Chinese population that is ready to take on the world and keep abreast with other more popular and known art and culture the majority is more familiar with.

K11’s rapid rise to art-world ubiquity illustrates both the ambition of its founder, billionaire Chinese real estate and jewelry scion Adrian Cheng, and the art industry’s definitive pivot to Asia as dealers and institutions seek to engage the region’s rapidly growing number of billionaires and reflect the rising influence of its artists.

The 38-year-old Cheng does not mince words when describing that ambition. His goal is nothing less than “to create a contemporary Chinese culture,” he said when we met last November in a wood-paneled room at the top of a Shanghai tower that holds offices for two of Cheng’s companies (the Hong Kong-based real estate group New World Development, and Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Group, both founded by his grandfather Cheng Yu-tung, are among his largest holdings). The tower sits atop one of Cheng’s K11 “Art Malls,” as his department stores are known, a growing number of which house a K11 Art Foundation exhibition space alongside their retail offerings.

(Via: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-adrian-cheng-building-new-culture-chinese-millennials-one-art-mall-time)

Having an art mall is definitely a great way to reach a wider audience whether or not they can or not afford to purchase expensive art pieces. At a time and age when people are more social than ever, these art malls are such a big hit and will surely fit in with the growing social consciousness among the masses who loves posting a selfie or two now and then and all the IG-worthy photos that are simply to die for. With this, the K11 Art Foundation has likely hit the bull’s eye. There are countless changes going on in the world today and the same thing is happening in China. People appreciate experiences more than just simple retail therapy and taking their mall-time experience to the next level by allowing them to immerse in the arts is something that will stay in their memories forever.

The artist’s work was praised, and Li eventually left China. He became a professor and a U.S. citizen, and later was jailed in China for his pro-democracy stands. He is now a professor of international business and eminent scholar at Old Dominion University.

During the years, Li has collected more than 250 propaganda posters from the 1950s to the ’70s to preserve that era. More than 20 of the posters are being exhibited at the Chrysler Museum of Art in “The Art of Revolution: Chinese Propaganda Posters from the Collection of Shaomin Li.”

The exhibition includes several personal artifacts, such as Li’s sketchbooks and the model books artists had to use. They contained images approved by the government. The show is organized in several themes, including “The Cult of Mao,” “Glorifying the Military” and “Propaganda as Educational Material in China after Mao.”

(Via: https://pilotonline.com/entertainment/arts/exhibits/article_042ddf1c-2b27-11e8-9b27-5f366f439d78.html)

Even propaganda materials like posters that were used during the Chinese Revolutions are now considered as classic art pieces since they signify an important part of China’s history that has shaped the country that we know of today.  Despite the rapid globalization that is spreading throughout the planet, understanding Chinese history through these fragments of its history and culture can help us better understand why Chinese people are more closely guarded than the rest of the world. It is apparent with the way they live, the way their country is governed, and the things the citizens are allowed to do and not. We can truly learn a lot from seeing cultural art pieces as it explains in vivid detail the policies of a country simply by reading between the lines, in this case, painting a picture in your mind.

Chinese Art In The Modern World Find more on: chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2018/04/30/chinese-art-in-the-modern-world/

Do Not Disregard Mental Health

We’ve heard it time and again that health is wealth. It’s essentially the only thing that will last you a lifetime. You only have one body after all. How you take care of yourself and live a healthy life can likewise determine the quality of your life in your lifetime. However, there is one aspect of human health that is seldom talked about – mental health. A person’s mental well-being is just as important as his/her physical health and we shouldn’t even be arguing about it at this point. When ignored or not cared for properly, a poor mental state can cause various problems in life not only to your health but also your relationships with others.

You’d be surprised to find out that the state of your mind can have a big impact on your body. But it is not surprising to see someone fall ill when they are constantly stressed, losing sleep and worried about a lot of things all the time. You’d notice that you tend to lose weight, get dark circles under your eyes and feel anxious and fidgety all the time when something is bothering your mind. If it persists, it’s not impossible to get sick and exhibit physical symptoms like when you are actually sick with an infection or ailment. Even criminals and offenders are known to have mental health issues, especially that most crimes they do are incomprehensible and only people who have a twisted mind and have no sense of what is right and what is wrong will likely do it.

Between 50 and 70 percent of the young prisoners in state juvenile justice systems have a mental disability, but an analysis of those systems found that only one state — Indiana — requires all teachers in such facilities to have special education certification.

(Via: https://sojo.net/articles/mental-health-disorders-are-pervasive-juvenile-justice-system-here-s-how-one-state)

Criminals are no longer just adults who lost their way but a growing number of juvenile delinquents and prisoners show that even young kids can commit crimes so unspeakable it makes you question their innocence after. But since they are still young, it is possible to correct them early and prevent these young offenders from living a life of sin if only an expert who knows how to deal with their fragile state of mental health can work with them and help them see the error of their ways and address their special needs.

In 2013, Villayat ‘Wolf’ Sunkmanitu launched a series of rolling exhibitions to raise awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and to promote creativity as a coping mechanism for disability.

His poetry raised awareness of what living with PTSD feels like, while his photography demonstrated his escape from the ‘Chains of PTSD’.

His exhibitions allowed him to interact with and listen to other people with disabilities, civilians and veterans alike and he was made aware of similar problems being experienced by others but on a wider scale.

“People were opening up at the exhibitions by either leaving comments in the guestbook, through social media or talking to me direct,” said Villayat.

(Via: http://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/article.cfm?id=119739&headline=Camera%20club%20focuses%20on%20effects%20of%20mental%20health%20disorders&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2018)

Not only criminals but the victims, most especially, have a more vulnerable state of mental health and will likely require professional help to get them back on track. Virtually everyone who has PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder finds it difficult to cope if not for mental health experts who help them overcome whatever traumatic situation they were once in. In this case, photographs proved to be handy in showing the general public that trauma can be any forms of bullying, abuse, accidents, or anything that felt beyond normal where your usual coping skills faltered and left your emotions and mind vulnerable to undue stress and so much more. It is visible in your physical demeanor whether you are okay mentally or not, so don’t just shrug it off and seek help rather than face your inner demons by yourself.

The following blog article Do Not Disregard Mental Health was first published to chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2018/04/16/do-not-disregard-mental-health/

Students Lead Social Changes

Free speech and democracy have long been enjoyed by the millions of people in the country but it hasn’t always been like that. There was a time when only a handful enjoyed certain privileges while the rest suffered in poverty and slavery. But over time and countless blood, sweat and tears of brave and selfless people, almost equal rights are now enjoyed by all. Take note, almost. While we seem to enjoy most of our human rights nowadays and take for granted the heroic bravery of our forefathers for us to be able to enjoy all these things, there are still a few vulnerable groups in society that don’t get to enjoy all these things like the rest of us.

Students get an education to learn crucial life and professional skills but they also learn about these inequalities and injustices in life. And with their idealistic point of views, it no longer comes as a surprise to see them fighting for various causes and leading up activist groups. The country is quite familiar with student activism and has seen our fair share of peaceful or violent protests in the student’s effort of trying to get their message across. What better cause to fight for than their own access to affordable and quality education. It will take more than just your arm and legs to send your kids to college. The sad thing is that that they’ll be drowning in student loan debt by the time they graduate.

We live in an area where student activism causes change.

The Free Speech Movement began with a yearlong protest at UC Berkeley led by Mario Savio after students were barred from fundraising and distributing political flyers on campus. The university eventually relented, but student-led civil disobedience quickly spread to college campuses throughout the country in the ’60s, coalescing into protests of the Vietnam War.

Tuition for UC and California State University students remained frozen from 2011 to 2016 because Gov. Jerry Brown listened to student protesters.

Merritt College students Huey Newton and Bobby Seale met in 1962 and four years later formed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. As their movement grew, the Panthers’ foot soldiers concentrated on building free breakfast programs.

(Via: https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Oakland-students-walkout-in-keeping-with-Bay-12760481.php)

Student protesters are no longer limited to college campuses as even high-schoolers raise their voices to be heard regarding the rapid rise of gun violence happening schools all over the country. You can’t blame these young minds if they were awakened to the sad reality of life at such a young age because violence is all around them, even in the very place they consider as their second home. Now when you look at it, student activism is now tackling more diverse issues that aren’t solely related to education and children welfare.

Last week's huge, nationwide participation in the student walkouts to protest gun violence in schools should provide a boost of energy for the turnout of young people for this week's March for Our Lives in Washington and at more than 700 satellite marches against gun violence and school shootings, experts say.

The main March 24 event is on Pennsylvania Avenue between the U.S. Capitol and the White House, where organizers have estimated that 500,000 students and others will attend.

"I think there is going to be a lot of energy and a lot of carryover from the walkouts" lifting participation in the marches, said Jeremy Pressman, an associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut and a leading expert on counting the size of protests.

(Via: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/03/21/student-activists-and-celebrity-donors-whos-behind.html)

Now, these student protests even have celebrity donors supporting their causes that in turn attracts even more people to attend their events. It has become a nationwide campaign where students from various states can also participate in somehow that is likewise backed by lots of private funding from high-profile celebrities who believe what they are fighting for. A perfect example is the “March for our Lives” protest that fights for better gun control and has been basically a nationwide event, which is fitting for their cause as various shooting incidents have erupted in different states over the past few years and claimed countless innocent lives. In this essence, it’s no longer just the students’ fight but that of the entire community since the cause is very timely and important for every American in the land.

The blog post Students Lead Social Changes was first seen on https://chrdnet.org/

source https://chrdnet.org/2018/04/03/students-lead-social-changes/