ILLUSTRATION AND DESIGN BY CAI TAO AND FENGZHENG YISHENG PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICOCO CHAN AND YUKAI PENG (彭昱凯)ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS FROM VCG

Just 20 years in the making,China’s contemporary art scene is a fresh canvas.Without the entrenched stability that comes from decades-old institutions and networks in the West,and a population without much art education or familiarity with exhibition culture,China’s creators and curators experiment free from the excess baggage of past ideas and tastes.Artists have dipped their brushes into social media trends,turning their works into viral short-videos,while art museums walk the fine line between educating the public and enticing young visitors eager for photogenic snapshots.Meanwhile,art NFTs from Chinese creators are popping up (both legally and illegally) online,tapping into the global craze but making regulators nervous.Beyond the city sprawl,art communes and installations struggle to use their creativity to fuel rural revitalization.In this issue’s cover story,we investigate the many sides to China’s burgeoning art scenes,and find a picture that is colorful and sometimes kitsch.

当艺术不再“高冷”，美术馆成了拍照打卡胜地，青年中产爱上“潮流艺术”收藏，NFT艺术崭露头角。都市之外，艺术家用创造力在乡村探索新的可能性。当代艺术正在悄悄进入我们的生活。