Autonomous Action

Li Yongbilin, Lin Yilin, Zhang Huan, Ma Liuming, Xu Bing, Zhan Wang

Highly acclaimed when first screened at Artspace Auckland last year, Autonomous Action provides a rare opportunity for Christchurch audiences to view some of the most exciting new wave of conceptual art from China. As political and social developments in China have undergone massive changes in the last 15 years, the contemporary arts have experienced a renaissance, particularly in the mediums of performance and new technologies.

The artists in Autonomous Action focus on action as the principle means of artistic expression, using the body as a site for aesthetic, political, philosophical and psychological speculation. Powerful, unpredictable and sometimes controversial, Autonomous Action reflects a current group of prolific and committed avant-garde artists operating out of a country still in the throes of rapid economic and social change.

The Physics Room would like to thank The High Street Project, The New Zealand College of Art and Design, The Robert McDougal Art Gallery, Campbell Grant Gallery and Southern Commercial Hire for their assistance with Autonomous Action.

Reviews, Essays & Articles
Art in face of adversity
The Press, 2000 Jan. 26, p. 35
Wright, Nik.
Pearly king skip falling: Evelyn Hewlett and Autonomous Action: new Chinese art on video curated by Richard Dale.

Cultural stories using video
Christchurch Star, 2000 Jan. 26, p. B5
Pearly king skip falling; Evelyn Hewlett and Autonomous Action; new Chinese art on video curated by Richard Dale.