Text previously published in Europa Magazine Issue 7, October 2009.  

The categories of centre and periphery, of north and south, are increasingly unable to photograph contemporary economic, political, and cultural inderdependence. The transnational experience of contemporary migrations points to the necessity of a new interpretative paradigm.

Throughout Chinese history, peasants have always been oppressed by landlords. If they wanted to have a better life, they always needed to find a way to earn more income by selling handcrafts or agricultural products. On the other hand, the peasants were always very creative about what they could do, always looking for new ideas. This produced a level of grass-roots creativity and pushed society forward, moving at a tremendous speed.

At the city's outermost edges, Shanghai's past and future collide. Off the main roads, the streets give way to canals. Peasants grow vegetables in muddy water. Fields of crops still survive.

Envisioning the Complex 'Diasporization' of Contemporary Chinese Art

By Paul Gladston