Is Chinese Contemporary Art Attractive?

Now that China has reached the status of economic superpower and does not fear the threat of foreign military attack, the country is more worried about its negative image in the world. To address this issue implies increasing its soft power. China chose to focus on the culture and the arts. Therefore, in order to position itself as a dynamic and attractive cultural power, China has made great efforts in the last few years in fostering its cultural and artistic industry. Notably, China has supported the development of infrastructure, the promotion of national initiatives and the export of artworks and exhibitions abroad. This booming artistic scene can also be seen through the outstanding performances of Chinese art sales, as well as through the current value of Chinese artists’work. Through the analysis of journalistic reports about Chinese contemporary art, collected from two foreign online newspapers, Le Monde (France) and the New York Times (United States) from2007until mid-2013, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the attractiveness of Chinese contemporary art in foreign media, and to see how effective China’s soft power attempt through its contemporary art is. It appears that the topic’Chinese contemporary art’ attracts a lot of attention in the media, with genuine interest towards Chinese artists and their work. However, the issue of control over the arts is widely discussed, representing a potential harm for China’sachievement of its soft power.