The Development of Art Districts from a Perspective of the Relationship between Policy and Contemporary Art in China

Abstract

The ‘Art Districts’ in China, which started by the spontaneous gathering of artists, are the places where the works of contemporary art are produced, exhibited and sold. In recent years, as the Chinese government expected an economical effect from these art districts, the government has made the contemporary art a part of ‘Cultural Creative Industry’ and supports it politically. Since then these districts have expanded from Beijing to other big cities in China. The purpose of this paper is to consider the changes in the relationship between policy and Contemporary Art by intervention of a government, based on the developments in the art districts in the Chinese mainland. The results show that art districts spread to the big cities, they are changed by administrative policy and real-estate development. There is a direct relationship between the change in a related policy and the development in the Chinese art districts. Therefore, the support from the central government increasing recognition of the cultural industry and development in “Cultural Creative Industry Park” is an important factor in the rapid increase of the art districts.