It’s Electric

The electric pink walls throughout the Portland Art
Museum’s China Design Now exhibit indicate the youthful,
hyper-stylized mood of its contents. China is on a design high after
decades of socialism—the very idea of someone working as an
artist or designer outside of a government mandate is less than a
generation old there. As a result, the newfound freedom of expression
is rapidly changing the culture. Outsider associations with sweatshop
manufacture, iffy sanitation, and sinister government actions are
giving way to recognition of China’s artistic blend of invention and
loyalty to tradition, a combining theme evident throughout the
sprawling exhibit.

Originally assembled for London’s Victoria and Albert Museum,
China Design Now is organized around three of China’s major
cities: Shenzhen (“Frontier City”) is the nation’s graphic design hub,
replete with poster art, limited-edition sneakers and skateboards, and
an average resident age of 27. Shanghai (“Dream City”), the “Paris of
the Orient,” is all about glamorous couture, elegant modern furniture,
and the cultural empire of Yue-Sai Kan, who is roughly as influential
as Oprah. And Beijing (“Future City”) is a massive, heart-stopping
sculpture garden of architectural innovation, including the “bird’s
nest” stadium and swimming center built for the 2008 Olympics—an
occasion that served as one of the most far-reaching realizations of
China’s newfound creative power.

Considering the pace and scope of the movement this exhibit covers,
the onslaught of mediums can feel a little soup-to-nuts, with a
different film/costume/poster/architectural model confronting you at
every turn. The Shenzhen and Shanghai portions pale a bit next to
Beijing—the graphic designs, fashion, and lifestyle branding are
not without Western parallel. Yet the architectural adventurousness in
the “future city” is like watching the construction of the ninth wonder
of the world. The China Central TV building alone, a massive,
gravity-defying angled loop where over 10,000 people go to work every
day, is impressive enough to warrant an exhibit of its own.

As it becomes increasingly clear that no one country can lay claim
as the world’s cultural authority (sorry, France), lovers of art and
design should be eager to add another destination to the global roadmap
of invention. This exhibit, one presumes, represents merely the
cusp.