The exhibition Zhongguo 2185 hosted by the Sadie Coles HQ gallery has sparked interest in contemporary Chinese art in London. (Photo provided to China Daily)
Coles says the shows introduced to London and Europe a younger generation of artists from China, "whose practices are in dialogue with their contemporaries worldwide".
Zhongguo 2185 showed works by 10 artists who are in their 30s.
Coles says it had "incredible" attendance, particularly from young people who recognize the "shared anxieties of contemporary life" in the displayed artworks.
Xuzhen Supermarket featured the virtual environment of a supermarket in which the audience was surrounded by stacks of commodities.
The exhibition by Shanghai artist Xu Zhen, 40, examined such topics as the relentless circle of supply and demand, and mass consumption.
Coles says the art community outside of China as a whole has had relatively little exposure to the works of this generation, and this in itself brought many visitors.
She adds that while speaking to the Chinese artists featured at the shows, she learned that "the voices they have are proudly their own", and they do not cater to the ideas of what Chinese art should look like.
She says the audience for contemporary art in China is growing fast, especially in art hubs like Beijing and Shanghai, both of which she feels are "accessible, receptive and open".
She says both cities boast communities "who are making serious and long-term commitments to building structures in which contemporary art can flourish".
Coles also advises women in art like herself to ignore the authority and superiority that men assume they have.
"I have always refused to accept that I am any different: I am the owner of an art gallery, I love art and artists, and I run my business to the best of my ability.
"I don't consider my gender to be any kind of impediment and am enormously thankful to all the artists who have given me the opportunity to work with them. I am pretty sure they didn't choose me because of my gender."
