Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China

Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China is published in conjunction with the first exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted solely to the contemporary art of China. A unique feature of this landmark event is how it positions contemporary art from a non-Western culture within an encyclopedic art museum: displayed in the Museum’s permanent galleries for Chinese painting and calligraphy, the exhibition examines these works as part of the continuum of Chinese culture, a tradition that extends back for millennia. While these works may also be appreciated from the perspective of global contemporary art, examining them through the lens of China’s historical artistic paradigms reveals layers of meaning and cultural significance that might otherwise go unnoticed.