Exhibition period: September 26th to October 7th, 2007

Exhibition location: Halls D and E

Exhibition type: Comprehensive Exhibition

"Chuangku（Literal meaning in Chinese：A space and community for creativity）" is a group of contemporary artists living in Shenzhen. They are like a group of artistic migratory birds, seeking the breath of avant-garde culture, cruising through the mangroves of contemporary cultural cities, searching for ecological wetlands to inhabit. The migratory birds of this group of art take creating and contemplating contemporary art as the norm of life. Their behavior and art are the most sensitive and vivid elements that constitute the cultural color of a city.

Shenzhen is the youngest city in China, and its youthful vitality provides multiple possibilities for the proliferation and growth of all avant-garde cultural forms. In the mid-1980s, almost simultaneously with the 84 and 85 modern art trends, the first group of contemporary artists came to Shenzhen to engage in creation, exhibition planning, publication establishment, and studio development. Their fields of expertise included easel painting, performance art, sculpture, imaging, music, design, and more; Since then, many well-known contemporary artists, critics, and curators have directly or indirectly established connections with this city. Due to her youth, compared with contemporary art towns such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing, the growth and development of Shenzhen's cultural ecology is not yet full and mature enough. After living in Shenzhen for a period of time, a group of migratory birds have drifted north again; More often, spring and winter come for a brief stay. In recent years, with the deepening of Shenzhen's "cultural-based city" strategy, various cultural and artistic platforms have been continuously developed and improved, and the accumulation of urban cultural resources has been continuously enhanced. In particular, the rapid development of art museums and the growth of various art management institutions such as galleries have created a good ecological space for the growth of contemporary art. When this group of artists spontaneously established a contemporary art creation activity base called "Chuangku" in the old factory building of Nanshan District, it actually proved from one side that Shenzhen, a modern city, has formed strong cultural cohesion and radiation ability, and its open, inclusive, and diverse cultural ecology is maturing.

The space of "Chuangku" is open, it is not only a studio for artists, but also frequently holds various exploratory and comprehensive artistic activities, including experimental music, poetry recitation, etc. It is commendable that  Chuangku's artists also possess a sense of cultural responsibility and mission,, interacting with community culture in various forms, and integrating their artistic activities with the cultural ecology of the city. Perhaps what "Chuangku" is presenting to everyone today is still a green apple, with its immaturity and limitations overall. However, some of the artists have already developed their own distinct styles and have a certain level of fame in the contemporary art circle. They not only receive the attention of art critics, but their works are also favored by galleries, gaining considerable commercial value.

 The Guan Shanyue Art Museum promotes this emerging group of contemporary artists to the public from the perspective of paying attention to local culture and supporting the development of innovative culture. We look forward to the near future, as these artists further mature and their influence expands, and more contemporary artists at home and abroad participate, the artistic value of  "Chuangku" and the pioneering value of urban culture will be highlighted, becoming a beautiful landscape of Shenzhen culture.