Abstract:

"This documentary gives us a rare opportunity to meet young artists and intellectuals in Beijing and hear how they steer a course between survival and artistic expression. This new generation of artists does not paint scenes of nature like the classical painters. Nor do they produce the oversized socialist realist canvases that were popular during the Mao years. These young men and women, influenced by Western modern art, have turned inward for inspiration, expressing their emotions through art. How do they fare in post Tiananmen Square China? They have not had an official exhibit space since the student rebellion. Nor is there a market for their work. But most have jobs that enable them to support themselves. Since painting and sculpture are considered less threatening to the regime than the printed word, their art is tolerated."