Art and China's Winter Olympics

Painter and installation artist, Qu Lei Lei, co-founded the Stars movement in China in 1979, when a group of artists grabbed national attention by displaying their work in public outside official channels and marching under the slogans of political democracy and artistic freedom. Decades later, Qu Lei Lei is still creating art that is making waves internationally. His recent work highlights the use of misinformation for political purposes, and how vulnerable the lives of ordinary people are to being “knocked over” by politics, pandemic, and environmental or financial disaster. Our reporter Paul Waters interviewed him in the home he shares with co-artist Caroline Deane.

And as China hosts the Winter Olympics, artists are marking the sporting contest in their own way. Inside the China Winter Sport Art Festival in Beijing, dozens of artists have been customizing snowboards. We hear from one of them, abstract painter Shuang Wu. And also from China’s controversial “pandaman”, artist Zhao Bandi, whose signature panda sculptures are on show in the festival courtyard.

Plus: What lies ahead for China – and the rest of the world – after the Olympics? China’s science fiction authors are coming up with scenarios based on new technology, artificial intelligence, Covid, climate change and the other uncertainties of life. And they're also looking to new parts of the world for inspiration too. We hear from two award-winning sci fi writers. Chen Qiufan is the author of a series of short stories called AI 2041, 10 Visions of Our Future. And Xia Jia’s first English language collection, A Summer Beyond Your Reach, was published a few months ago.

We also hear from Chinese electronic dance music star, Corsak, on how he tailors his music depending on whether it’s for a domestic or an international audience.

Presenter: Chi Chi Izundu Producer: Paul Waters

(Photo: Qu Lei Lei in front of his painting Mastering Our Fate. Credit: Paul Waters)