The National and the International in Three Works of Contemporary Chinese Artists

Abstract

The article formulates and analyses a hypothesis, according to which, thanks to modern postmodern art, a single international visual language was formed in the late 20th – early 21st centuries, and previously mysterious and incomprehensible foundations of national culture became accessible and open at the international level. This concept is considered on the basis of the international popularization of Chinese art, as the Chinese national culture and art remained mysterious for Western audiences for many centuries. The mechanisms of popularizing national culture are disclosed in the article based on an analysis of three works created by famous contemporary Chinese artists – Odyssey by Cai Guoqiang, Coloured Vases by Ai Weiwei and Last Supper by Zeng Fanzhi.