Copyleft Appropriation Art in China
In contemporary society, the phenomenon of Shanzhai - 鈥渃opycat鈥� - pervades every sphere, and plagiarism never ends. When we look back at the origins of Chinese contemporary art, the accusation that it worships the West incessantly lingers; when we reflect on the development of Chinese classical art, we may see that relentless imitation of predecessors is the label that has been commonly placed on Literati painting especially since the late Qing Dynasty. In light of these facts, one can鈥檛 help but wonder: what is the real reason the Western 鈥渁ppropriation鈥� approach seems to fit China so particularly well? Are Chinese really what Westerners accuse us of being - disrespectful of copyright, with no sense of innovation? Are the current phenomena of Shanzhai and artistic plagiarism in China related to the tradition of Linmo - copying - that has historically existed in Chinese art? If Westerners can make attempts at total 鈥渁ppropriation鈥� with no concern for copyright, why can鈥檛 Chinese practice Shanzhai, which at least involves making changes to the original work? Will an excess of reproduction and reproduced works affect the continued creative progress of art?
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In contemporary society, the phenomenon of Shanzhai - 鈥渃opycat鈥� - pervades every sphere, and plagiarism never ends. When we look back at the origins of Chinese contemporary art, the accusation that it worships the West incessantly lingers; when we reflect on the development of Chinese classical art, we may see that relentless imitation of predecessors is the label that has been commonly placed on Literati painting especially since the late Qing Dynasty. In light of these facts, one can鈥檛 help but wonder: what is the real reason the Western 鈥渁ppropriation鈥� approach seems to fit China so particularly well? Are Chinese really what Westerners accuse us of being - disrespectful of copyright, with no sense of innovation? Are the current phenomena of Shanzhai and artistic plagiarism in China related to the tradition of Linmo - copying - that has historically existed in Chinese art? If Westerners can make attempts at total 鈥渁ppropriation鈥� with no concern for copyright, why can鈥檛 Chinese practice Shanzhai, which at least involves making changes to the original work? Will an excess of reproduction and reproduced works affect the continued creative progress of art?
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