An evaluative biography of cynical realism and political pop

This chapter illustrates different regimes of justification by tracing the evaluative biography of two Chinese contemporary art styles, in order to explain their artistic and commercial success. The movements developed in the aftermath of the Tiananmen massacre, when censorship of contemporary art was strengthened, forcing these artists to remain underground. Audiences in Europe and the United States evaluated these works predominantly in political terms, as a form of cultural resistance. Critics and curators in China disputed this evaluation, criticizing the movement as too commercial and repetitive. While some Chinese art critics complained that the foreign audiences ‘misunderstood’ Cynical Realism and Political Pop, the chapter argues that the commercial and artistic success of the movement and its cross-border circulation has resulted from a combination of shared understandings as well as misunderstandings between the styles’ various audiences.