KRISTIN IRIS JOHNSON, Fiction Writing major, writes: We've been to a lot of galleries and a lot of the art is beautiful, a lot of it is provocative, and a lot of it is crap. Some of the contemporary work here is art because it's edgy and new for the time, not because it's actually good. I can't help feeling that in ten or 20 years some people will wonder, "Why was that ever considered art?"
My feelings aren't exactly unfounded. I have been told that there are young artists here who see famous Chinese contemporary artists making big money and getting international fame for their work. These young artists then try to make something just to get money. They don't care about the art, or the message or self-expression, they care about trying to make a name for themselves. Victoria, the curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, said that young Chinese artists try to act so tortured, but they really have a good life. They just sit around with watching TV, playing video games, talking on their cell phones, and basically doing what American kids are doing, so they have nothing to complain about, but they try to make artwork to the contrary just to make money. Work that comes out of that mentality does not come out very well. Don't get me wrong, some of the artwork I've seen--most of it--is fantastic and inspiring, but there is still some that I can tell was just for the money, or just to make a name.
