New York art show tackles what it means to be Chinese in the modern age

What does it mean to be Chinese? This is a question that has received much attention over the centuries, and the question arises again in "Cross-Strait Relations", an art exhibition at Parsons The New School For Design in New York City. Curated by Taiwan-born Arthur Ou, an assistant professor of photography at Parsons, the show examines the perception of what it means to be Chinese in relation to the rise of the mainland in the 21st century.

"The idea is to explore the many different notions of what Chinese identity is. With the rise of the mainland as a political and economic power, the identity of a Chinese individual is becoming seen as a monolithic thing," says Ou at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Centre in which the exhibition is housed.

The show, Ou says, also addresses the new ways that the Chinese diaspora is manifesting itself: "In this exhibition, I am interested in bringing together artists who are from the main Chinese regions, but are often moving between them, and responding to what they see," he says. "We have an artist from Taiwan who is based in Shanghai, and an artist from Singapore who is based in Berlin. I wanted that very itinerant spirit to be part of the show."

"Cross-Strait Relations" tries to reflect some of the geographical diversity of Greater China. The show features 10 artists: four from the mainland, and two each from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Works include Michael Lin's diptych painting 123-9211-8072 and 135-8217-9633, which are two giant depictions of a tai bao zheng, a multiple entry travel permit for travellers between Taiwan and the mainland; Chien Chieh-jen's video installation Empire's Borders I; and Cao Fei's PostGarden, which removes BBC television's CBeebies from their usual environment.

"There needs to be a new understanding of what China is, not one that is based on how modern China took shape in the 20th century," Ou says. "In film, literature, and the arts, there are very different trajectories that I think would need to be considered. The mass movement of people is certainly important."

The exhibition is primarily meant to raise more questions and provoke a debate, rather than provide answers. The title "Cross-Strait Relations", a term that brings historical tensions between the mainland and Taiwan to mind, is intended to be provocative. "The show does not reach a conclusion; it is more of a proposal about finding a new understanding," says Ou.